We rushed to war

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Serious discussion of overthrowing Saddam Hussein's regime began during the Clinton administration, with the passage of the Iraq Liberation Act in 1998. Although Defense Secretary William S. Cohen claimed that Clinton was "not calling for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein," the language of the Act is unequivocal:

"It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime."

The Iraq Liberation Act also contemplated a post-Saddam occupation of Iraq, including war crimes trial and the installation of a democratic government.

The Bush administration began drawing up plans for an invasion of Iraq as early as December, 2001. Mere days after 9/11, on September 20, 2001, the Project For A New American Century (PNAC) wrote an open letter to President Bush calling for regime change in Iraq.

Contents

[edit] Timeline of events

[edit] 2003

[edit] January

[edit] February

[edit] March

  • March 1 - The United Arab Emirates calls for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to step down to avoid war, a sentiment later echoed by Bahrain and Kuwait.
  • March 1 - The Turkish parliament vetoes U.S. troop access to airbases in Turkey in order to attack Iraq from the north. The Bush administration starts working on Plan B, namely attacking Iraq from the south, through the Persian Gulf.
  • March 1 - The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the United States Customs Service, and the United States Secret Service move to the United States Department of Homeland Security.
  • March 1 - Pakistani authorities capture Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, along with money man Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi.
  • March 11 - Iraqi fighters threaten 2 U.S. U-2 surveillance planes, on missions for U.N. weapons inspectors, forcing them to abort their mission and return to base.
  • March 12 - British prime minister Tony Blair proposes an amendment to the possible 18th U.N. resolution, which would call for Iraq to meet certain benchmarks to prove that it was disarming. The amendment is immediately rejected by France, who promises to veto any new resolution.
  • March 16 - The leaders of the United States, Britain, Portugal, and Spain meet at a summit in the Azores Islands. U.S. President Bush calls March 17 the "moment of truth", meaning that the "coalition of the willing" will make its final effort to extract a resolution from the U.N. Security Council, giving Iraq an ultimatum to disarm immediately or be disarmed by force.
  • March 17 - U.S. President George W. Bush gives an ultimatum: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his sons must either leave Iraq, or face military action at a time of the U.S.'s choosing.
  • March 18 - The Parliament of the United Kingdom votes in favour of a motion understood as giving the government final authority to join the invasion of Iraq.
  • March 18 - About $1 billion was taken from Iraq's Central Bank by Saddam Hussein and his family, just hours before the United States began bombing Iraq, biggest bank robbery in history.
  • March 19 - The first American bombs drop on Baghdad, Iraq. President Saddam Hussein and his sons do not comply with President Bush's 48-hour mandate demanding their exit from Iraq.
  • March 20 - Land troops from United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invade Iraq.
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