Suppose someone built a time machine and sent Bush a message to not invade Iraq, it would be a disaster. So, taking heed of the message, he personally meets with Saddam to negotiate a settlement. In exchange for the lifting of all sanctions and the elimination of US/allied forces from Iraq, Saddam will agree to certify that he has no WMD's (remember those?), promise not to fuck with any US allies in the region (including the Kurds, but he'd be free to fuck with Iran as much as he likes), sell oil in dollars only forever, offer full and enthusiastic assistance in fighting terrorists, enact some kind of BS democratic reforms.

Saddam agrees, pictures of a smiling Bush/Hussain shaking hands are seen around the world.

What happens next? Does Bush still win re-election in 2004? Is Karl Rove able to cobble together the "permanent Republican majority" he was shooting for? Does this have any effect on the current economic crisis we're experiencing? Does SAM still hate America?

Saddam makes many promises, more than GWB can remember, and never keeps but one--he swore that Kuwait was part of Iraq, and as soon as GWB comes back to Washington and waves the paper above his head saying 'peace in our time' Saddam goes straight back into Kuwait. As an alternative, he organises for GWB's plane to be blown up somewhere over the Atlantic, and in the resulting confusion in Washington he takes over Kuwait.

Honestly, other than Bush being assassinated, your scenario would still probably work out all right. With a fresh aggresion from Saddam, we'd have carte blanche to invade and no one would bitch about it.

Does SAM still hate America?

Are you still in Afghanistan?

Right. So, Iran then accelerates their nuclear ambitions. Israel sits there happy that they're both occupied. Syria and Egypt remain quiet. Kuwait stands shivering, so does Saudi Arabia. If an invasion does occur, then the US will jump to their aid, unless it's Iran.

Iran by now has a nuclear weapon, pushed to desperation by the acceptance of Iraq. And then uses it on troops invading (if any). Israel then decides to nuke Saddam. Iran owes Israel something, as well as the US. Meanwhile, Arab nations are once again cowered, into following Israel's lead.

Lets be realistic about this

Mad 1,000,000 or so people arnt dead who now are
Sadam takes the US to the WTO to tell them to stick there $ where it fits because that is extortion and illegal

Lets be realistic about this

Mad 1,000,000 or so people arnt dead who now are
Sadam takes the US to the WTO to tell them to stick there $ where it fits because that is extortion and illegal

Then the US invades and nothing changed.

Sarah Conner was wrong- we don't make our fate.

Then the US invades and nothing changed.

Sarah Conner was wrong- we don't make our fate.

The US would have a harder (or perhaps easier, with the right campaign), time of selling that to the public.

People tend to forget Saddam Hussein was sitting on five hundred tons of yellowcake. If the United States had never invaded Iraq and assuming Iran's nuclear program continued on the present course, I imagine the Iraqi uranium enrichment program would be working double time to get the bomb before Iran. Saddam may have even become our new best friend - the lesser of two "evils".

If Bush didn't invade Iraq he probably would have invaded Iran. Either way, its control of oil and massive contracts for the military industrial complex.

I understand many credit G.W. Bush with full responsibility for everything having to do with Iraq, but what of the 350+ congressmen that voted for the Iraq War Resolution, along with UK, Australia, Poland, Latvia, Romania, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Moldova, Albania, Bosnia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, New Zealand, Slovakia, Denmark, Norway, El Salvador, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Macedonia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Iceland, Kazakhstan, and others that participated in the invasion and/or occupation of Iraq? I'm sure the motives vary, but could we have seen a similar multinational force invade Iran primarily for "control of oil and massive contracts"?

not to dispute you but i HIGHLY doubt NZ should be in there. Hellen clark CLEARLY told the US to stick it more than once over that issue

I must admit I made that list of nations after making a quick glance over Wikipedia's Multinational Force in Iraq (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_force_in_Iraq) entry. It claims New Zealand deployed 61 troops in September 2003 and withdrew them a year later.

as i have said previously i think NZ had the high ground on this and i was pissed off that howard didnt have the guts which hellen clark did. Thats why i know for a fact that all though Australia SHOULD be on the list NZ shouldnt

Are you saying NZ did not send troops to Iraq?

no im saying they wernt part of the invasion force. Wether they chose to act afterwards i dont know, maybe they felt that they had no choice, that leaving the yanks to die wouldnt help the situation but i know they were NOT amongst the war criminals (howard, blair, bush ect) who initally invaded