Indeed we WERE attacked...and indeed I was behind our president 110% when we went after those that attacked us. But then....we focused on Iraq - who DIDN'T attack us. But we were told Saddam had WMD's and we were led to believe that he would use them to attack the US...might as well say we were under attack.
If you read much of the literature and books on the invasion post 9/11 on why we went to IRAQ, you will find that a group of 12 who were brought together by Christopher DeMuth (President of the American Enterprise Insitute (conservative Washington think tank, hired by Paul Wolfowitz. Some of the "12" were Bernard Lewis, a scholar of Islam, Fareed Zakaria, Editor of Newsweek International, Fouad Ajami, Director of Middle East Studies Progarm at SAIS, James Q. Wilson, professor specialist in human morality and crime, Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former CIA middle East expert, Steve Herbits, Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy Sec. of Defense. They were called the Bletchley II (think tank to make a strategic policy for Cheney,Bush, Rumsfield, Rice, Powell, Tenet),the top adminstration officials, a highly secret document (not published) called "Delta of Terrorism". Demuth was interviewed only to give a brief summary of its content,a highly classified document, and would not present it in full for the purpose of this publication "State of Denial". They met on November 29,2001 in a secure conference center in Virginia.
Over all, the report concluded the US was likely in for a two-generation battle with radical Islam. The general analysis was that Egypt and Saudi Arabia, where most of the hijakers came from, were the key, but the problmes there are intractable. Iran is more important, where they wre confident and successful in setting up a radical
government; Iran was difficult to envision delaing with.
But Saddam Hessein was different, weaker, more vulnerable. Baathism is an Arab form of fascism transplanted to Iraq. They concluded that a confrontation with Saddam was inevitable. He was a gathering threat, menacing, active and unavoidable threat. They agreed Sadddam would have to leave the scene before the problem would be addressed. "That was the only way to transform the region". Summarizing the Bletchley II conclusions...Herbits said, "we're facing a two-gernation war. And start with Iraq". (Woodward, State of Denial, page 85).
Rumsfield does not deny this meeting took place when asked in an interview...he just states he does not remember what all was discussed in that meeting.
So, the administration two month after 9/11 had to make a plan to convince congress that they needed to attack Iraq, and WMD was how they were able to convince a vulnerable American public who wre freshly angered and united post 9/11, and rally congress on this mission.
It was a lie.
They needed a U.S. presence in the middle east, and Iraqi military, its people, Suddam, were the likley weaklings in the region to invade, overthrow and occupy. Bush, Cheney and Rumsfield thought it would be a cake walk...they didn't forsee terrorism esclating and recruiting even more Jihadis, and a civil war with a newly elected US puppet government in Iraq that just can't handle the post war. Bush and the Administration and the Defense Dept. are too arrogant to admit they "screwed up" and need to get out.
The radical Islamic jihadi war is much more widespread and bigger than just U.S. military troops occupying one ME state.
Assassinating Osama will not end a war on terrorism. The war is on "radical Islamic fundamentalists" who believe in eliminating Israel, the west through martyrdom.
Our soldiers are in harms way, and in full blown chaos, and we need to get out of there, and let them destroy each other. The iraqi people want us out...our presence is bringing a wrath on the people of Iraq. WE need to put all our resources in protecting and guarding our borders with all our might! rebuild our resouces and military and get ready for a real world war III with a united front, world of nations on board.