Bush has a whole big fat plate full of problems.
He desperately needs to get out of "talk" mode and take action. Whether he or the military is ready or not.
He's on the knife's edge. Relevance or irrelevance runs both directions.
I would say the chance to "strike while the iron is hot" ended a few months ago. There will be a negotiated agreement of some sort. Saddam ain't going nowhere. Bush is looking for a way to spin this as a win without firing a shot and bring everybody home to their loved ones.