I think he really thought he could be Reagan II, with some of his father's "Kinder, Gentler" thrown in. Look at what the White House was talking about in [link|http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/|August 2001]. Or, take a look at his own summary of his [link|http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20010803-10.html|first 6 months]. The military got one line. He said he planned to start attacking big domestic problems in September:

Beginning in September, I'll be proposing creative ways to tackle some of the toughest problems in our society. We must take the side of parents trying to raise responsible, motivated and moral children. We must help disadvantaged Americans find opportunity and ownership and the tools to succeed in our free economy. We must show that our welcoming society values the ideals and contributions of immigrants. We must challenge Americans to be citizens, not spectators, in the renewal of their neighborhoods and their cities.

"9/11 Changed Everything."

I think his initial reaction to the attacks - [link|http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.htm|"Sounds like we have a minor war going on here, I heard about the Pentagon. We're at war . . . some-body's going to pay."] indicates his change of heart. (Imagine what the world and the US would be like if he had treated it as a "minor war" rather than this [link|http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Global_War_on_Terror|GWOT] monstrosity.) Once he crossed that Rubicon, he was much more amenable to grabbing as much power as he could to make "somebody" pay.

So, yes - there's no doubt that Bush is not a Reagan or Goldwater conservative. But I don't think he came into office that way.

Cheers,
Scott.

[link|http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcanadawar.html|The Straight Dope]. There have probably been plans to invade Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states since at least the [link|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_Doctrine|Carter Administration].

There are probably dozens of people in the government who do nothing all day but think about what it would take to invade country X and about potential justifications for it. Sometimes they have a lot of sway; sometimes they don't. I'm sure there were plans for Iraq, especially since it was US policy since [link|http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/libera.htm|Halloween 1998] to work toward the overthrow of Iraq's government. It wouldn't have made much sense to have such a policy without also having plans on the shelf for how to do it by force.

Yes, GWB wanted to get rid of Saddam the worst way. And he did - the worst way. :-(

We come down in slightly different places on this.

Having plans on the shelf and the desire to get rid of Saddam is different, in my eyes, from thinking there was a [link|http://www.gregpalast.com/bush-didnt-bungle-iraq-you-fools/|White House cabal] intent on enriching their oil buddies at the expense of the country and the world, and that Iraq turned out exactly as they planned. I don't buy that - I don't buy grand conspiracies in general.

My $0.02.

Cheers,
Scott.

[link|http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB214/index.htm|National Security Archive]:

[...]

POLO STEP was a coded compartment created during the Clinton administration to encompass covert Iraq and counter-terrorism plans and activities. In the mid-1990s, the compartment specifically included the targeting of Osama bin Laden. Following the September 11 attacks, CentCom, among other military and national security components, used the designation to cover planning for the war in Iraq. (Note 1)

In mid-2002, military analyst William Arkin obtained a leaked copy of a briefing on the Iraq plans and revealed the existence of POLO STEP in an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times (June 23, 2002, p. M1). According to Arkin, the revelation unleashed the fury of Gen. Franks and Secretary Rumsfeld who immediately ordered a probe of the leak that lasted until the end of 2003 and subjected more than 1,000 military and contractor personnel to sometimes repeated questioning. (Note 2)

The slides in this Web posting are a compilation reflecting various iterations in war planning. The U.S. government maintains plans for conflict with a multitude of possible adversaries. The contingency operating plan for Iraq--OPLAN 1003-98--had last been fully reviewed in 1996 and was updated in 1998. It envisioned an invasion force of more than 380,000 troops. Former CentCom commander Gen. Anthony Zinni (who saw gaps in the plan--particularly in regard to the post-war order) organized a war game--Desert Crossing--in 1999 to examine additional contingencies.

[...]

FWIW.

Cheers,
Scott.