As one of my friends so clearly pointed out, you have to see the whole issue from 1991 to 2003 from the perspective of a foreign diplomat. The official policy of the U.S. toward Iraq has not changed from the end Bush administration through the Clinton administration, and up until today.
In an electoral system like ours where the people in office can change frequently, I think we tend to forget that the U.S. often makes plans like these that take years to develop.