Muscatine

Nobody said "surprised" except you.   Bush stopped negotiations and went to planning for war almost immediately after the vote.

And did go to war 5 months after the vote as you pointed out.

Mobay didn't make that post, I did.   I didn't say "devious" pressure.   I didn't say that "bush surprised everyone".

Distort it bad enough and, sure, it isn't true.

Mal you are a liar.  But we expect nothing else from you.

It is sad that by chance or by design certain individuals seem to have forgotten the circumstances surrounding the initiation of military action in Iraq in 2003, and the things that led up to it.

The primary demand was that Saddam relinquish power and exile himself.   Everyone knew that the U.S. had imposed a deadline for this to happen.  And if it didn't happen, it was clear that the U.S. would take military action to depose Saddam.

Iraq War Resolution

President George Bush, surrounded by leaders of the House and Senate, announces the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq, October 2, 2002.

The October, 2002, U.S. congress Iraq War Resolution cited many factors to justify the use of military force against Iraq:

• 1.  Iraq's noncompliance with the conditions of the 1991 ceasefire agreement, including interference with U.N. weapons inspectors.
• 2. Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, and programs to develop such weapons, posed a "threat to the national security of the United States and international peace and security in the Persian Gulf region."
• 3.  Iraq's "brutal repression of its civilian population."
• 4.  Iraq's "capability and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other nations and its own people".
• 5.  Iraq's hostility towards the United States as demonstrated by the 1993 assassination attempt on former President George H. W. Bush and firing on coalition aircraft enforcing the no-fly zones following the 1991 Gulf War.
• 6.  Members of al-Qaeda, an organization bearing responsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq.
• 7.  Iraq's "continuing to aid and harbor other international terrorist organizations," including anti-United States terrorist organizations.
• 8.  Iraq paid bounty to families of suicide bombers.
• 9.  The efforts by the Congress and the President to fight terrorists, including the September 11th, 2001 terrorists and those who aided or harbored them.
• 10.  The authorization by the Constitution and the Congress for the President to fight anti-United States terrorism.
• 11.  The governments in Turkey, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia feared Saddam and wanted him removed from power.
• Citing the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, the resolution reiterated that it should be the policy of the United States to remove the Saddam Hussein regime and promote a democratic replacement.

The Resolution required President Bush's diplomatic efforts at the U.N. Security Council to "obtain prompt and decisive action by the Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its strategy of delay, evasion, and noncompliance and promptly and strictly complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions." It authorized the United States to use military force to "defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq."

When military action was instituted it was not done just by the U.S., but by a coalition of 40 nations.  This multi-national force operated under a U.N. mandate.

The government of Iraq enjoys broad international support, including from nations of the Arab League. Jordan is assisting in training of the Iraqi Security Forces, and the United Arab Emirates have donated military equipment (bought from Switzerland), for example.

As of September 2008, over 545,000 Iraqi security forces have been trained.^[6]

In November 2006, the United Nations Security Council voted to extend the mandate of the multinational force in Iraq until the end of 2007. The move was requested by the Iraqi government, which said the troops were needed for another year while it built up its own security forces.^[7] In December 2007, the Security Council unanimously approved resolution 1790, which extended the mandate until December 31, 2008.^[8]

In December 2008 the Iraqi and US Governments agreed the U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement which covered US, but only US troops. It allowed for them remaining in the country till 2011, but changed the status on several issues, Iraq regains sovereignty of its airspace, gains sovereignty over US contractor who commit crimes and of US forces who commit crimes if they are both off-duty and off base. The US forces must be withdrawn from Iraqi cities by July 31, 2009 and the whole agreement is subject to a referendum of the Iraqi people which will be held prior to June 30, 2009. If the referendum fails to approve the agreement the Iraqi Government will give the US till July 31, 2010 to withdraw completely.

On December 18, 2008 the Iraqi Government published the law covering the status of the non-US foreign forces from the end of the UN mandate on December 31, 2008 through to their withdrawal on July 31, 2009. The Iraqi parliament voted on Saturday December 20, after the second reading of this law, and decided to reject it and send it back to the Cabinet. The Majority of Iraqi MPs thought this must be made into a binding international agreement rather than presenting it as local Iraqi law.^[9] A compromise was reached and the law passed on December 23, 2008, with the Iraqi Government agreeing to then sign bilateral agreements with the relevant countries.^[10]