'Bush Wanted War'

Its hard to disagree with Richard Cohen's analysis on whether or not President Bush 'wanted war', a subject that reignited after Helen Thomas asked (most likely) her last question of President Bush. Here's Cohen:

There remains, though, the little matter of what was in Bush's gut -- not his head, mind you, but that elusive place where emotion resides. It was there, in the moments after 9/11, that Bush truly decided on war, maybe because Saddam had once tried to kill George H.W. Bush, maybe because the neocons had convinced him that a brief war in Iraq would have long-term salutary consequences for the entire Middle East, maybe because he could not abide the thought that a monster like Saddam might die in his sleep -- and maybe because he heard destiny calling.

Whatever Bush's specific reason or reasons, the one thing that's so far missing from the record is proof of him looking for a genuine way out of war instead of looking for a way to get it started. Bush wanted war. He just didn't want the war he got.

This is exactly right. While no president enjoys learning of the deaths of American soldiers, this presdient certainly wanted war. President Bush's agenda driven advisors have failed him, miserably. They encouraged this president, who clearly has no real understanding of foreign relations, to start this war. And who could blame Bush - they told him the war would be short, with few casualties, and would dramatically transform the Middle East resulting in a more peaceful world. The buck, however, does stop with the president. To reiterate what Cohen wrote, "Bush wanted war. He just didn't want the war he got."