In W's 15 minute speech today as he basked in the Texas sun, why did he not once mention Iraq? He mentioned 'dictator' & 'freedom', but never "Iraq", and the 10+ year wart he gave this great country.

Shameful, and consistent.

I am not sure whether the Iraq war would have been avoided if he had not been president at that time but I can sympathize with his conflict and pain for making a decision that has a profound lasting impact on the nation and its citizens. He justifies it clearly in his book. As he said let's give time and see how it works out. May good things come out of the sacrifices of unfortunate people who suffered and died in the war.

I am not sure whether the Iraq war would have been avoided if he had not been president at that time

Hito, please get a clue. If Bush were not president, it would have been Gore. Bush took out Saddam pure and simple to avenge Saddam's attempt on W's daddy's life. Gore had neither that motivation nor the neocon nuts around him intent on regional regime change. Nor, further, the Halliburton-axis oil interests in the region.

Gore has his own flaws. But that war would not have been one of them.

What if Hussein were still alive right now.. You seem to ignore the fact that there were a lot of speculations and concerns about him at that time.

Hussein who overplayed his tactical position was at least partly responsible for the terrible war. To me some kind of confrontations with Iraq was inescapable at that time.

Hito, please get a clue. If Bush were not president, it would have been Gore. Bush took out Saddam pure and simple to avenge Saddam's attempt on W's daddy's life. Gore had neither that motivation nor the neocon nuts around him intent on regional regime change. Nor, further, the Halliburton-axis oil interests in the region.

Gore has his own flaws. But that war would not have been one of them.