Reply #5: The neocons wanted him out the minute he ceased to be useful.

[K-W]

He used the power that we helped give him to control Iraq and he wasnt under our control. We couldnt let a man acting for his own and his countries interests control that much oil or that much land in that region. We felt he was too powerful, we found our excuse in Kuwait and we decimated him. With sanctions and bombings we made sure Iraq could never become a local power or control its own economy. Since such an arrangement couldnt last indefinately, we had 2 choices, pull out of Iraq or take Iraq over.

We know what the neocons thought the right choice was.