Regarding the failure for profiteers to at least provide armor for the troops and their vehicles: There is a big difference between "goods" and "services." The goods are material, physical things, so you have to have something to show for the money spent. For services, however, you can simply report that such-and-such progress has been made. It's far more difficult to verify services than goods, so service-heavy contracts can be much more lucrative.

You missed the part about two years before your timeline. Reagan made a deal with the saudis, similar to the deal the Br4itish made with Brunei, We will keep you kings in power as long as the price of a barrel of oil does not exceedXX amount of dollars. That alone broke the back of OPEC, and made the Saudis invincible over their own citizens.

They still Chop heads off every Friday at noon for people who smoke marijuana.

Oh4real:
Why does adding detail to this make it any different? It is obvious that money and power are in play here, and that the only natural resource these guys have over there is oil.
Then that is why we are there. That and Isreal loves us doing dirty work for them.

I did not need potential details to determine this as an uneccassary war. Evidently, somebody needed more of our rights and more of our money.

It is so apt that a poster mentioned the Saudi Royals.....the people that have feathered the Bush family bank account for decades. It seems that the family and the Saudi Royals are still hand and hand in screwing American citizens.

Concerning Kunferman's question/challenge:

"Give me a better and more accurate reason for us to have gone there."

There is one over-riding reason which the media was instructed to keep mum about, and which they have obliged.

The Saudi's demanded it of us, to save their monarchy and the world's oil supply.

Chronology:
1. 1991 - end of 1st Gulf War, a UN mandate requires US/Allies to fly no-fly zones over northern (Kurdish) and southern (Shia) Iraq as long as Hussein is in power. Only practical location to base planes for no-fly patrols based is S.A. - check geography, anywhere else or splitting the force into two bases would've required a) stationing A/C carriers in gulf perpetually, b) daily requests for airspace clearance from Saudi Arabia to fly to northern zone, or b) daily requests for Turkish airspace if coming from north/mediterranean.
2. 9/11 happened and OBL became famous in radical Islam/Wahaabism. OBL's primary demand is the removal of infidel US troops from the holy land of Mohammed, Saudi Arabia.
3. 2002 several home-grown terrorist attacks against western sites in Saudi Arabia emboldened anti-Saud sentiment. Full-scale revolution, at OBL's insistence, was at hand with the rationale being the 'infidels' based there at King Saud's request since 1990. That would be US.
4. With S.A. on verge of collapse, Saud family fails to quell uprising with force internally and demands US remove its 'thorn' or airbases from S.A.
5. Fear of destabilizing revolt in S.A. and its impact on global economy (only Britain and US privy to Saudi demand), Bush admin builds case for invasion mission with plethora of public rationales, but only one real, private reason - to legally end no-fly mandate and thus remove airbases from SA, thereby, deflating the impetus for revolt in SA.
6. US invades Iraq, regardless of weapons inspectors' reports and world opinion, since primary mission to end need for airbases in SA remains unchanged.
7. Apr 9th, 2003. Baghdad invaded, Saddam 'toppled'. Push continues to force surrender of all Iraqi forces.
8. April 29th, 2003. Rumsfeld quietly announces, while in Saudi Arabia, that US Sultan airbase in SA will be closed and all 5,000 US personnel will leave SA within few months.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/30/wsaud30.xml
8. May 1, 2003: To the confusion of just about everyone, Bush pulls PR stunt declaring 'Mission Accomplished!' aboard USS Lincoln, while US troops die on the ground and Saddam still not found (that would come 6 months later).
9. Saudi's regain control of their country as OBL's primary demand is met. Oil continues to flow.

One can only conclude that the "Mission" was to get the US out of Saudi Arabia and with Rummy's public announcement and the withdrawal agreement signed, that "Mission" was "Accomplished."

oh4real

What else is new?......It seems, all along that Bush and Cheney and their cohorts are looking forward to their retirement from "government". The Bush family has "always" had connections to big business and Halliburton was a leader in Halliburton before becoming VP. Remember Bush saying at a business mens dinner before or during his being elected, "...my haves and have mores".." my base"....THAT SAYS IT ALL I'm not as well versed as many posters but I do believe I've made my point.

We live in a state of corporate fascism, treating this planet as business in liquidation, exhausting its resources and destroying its environment. Man is but one species amongst billions of other species on this planet. No one gave man dominion on this planet except man himself. How egotistic has he become?! Nature’s god is angry at us. Shame ---Shame…
It all boils down to what Reagan did in 1988, bowing to pressure from the right, by abolishing the “Fairness Doctrine". The fairness doctrine was the law of the land since 1932. Abolishing the fairness doctrine allowed channels like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh to come to existence. Ninety two percent (92%) of radio talk show hosts now are right wingers. Public airwaves belong to the public and the fairness doctrine must be restored. Insist that the presidential candidates promise to restore the fairness doctrine and to bust the 5 media monopolies which control our thought process. Demand public finance of election.

It all boils down to what Reagan did in 1988 bowing to pressure from the right: "Abolishing the Fairness Doctrine" which allowed channels like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh to exist. 92% of radio talk show hosts are right wing persuasion. Public airwaves belong to the public and the fairness doctrine must be restored. Insist that the presidential candidates promise to restore the fairness doctrine and bust the 5 media monopolies which control our thought process.

IMPEACH BUSH / CHENEY and his admin must be fired and then we try them for war crimes / fabricating evidence to go to war against a helpless country!

we are sad stupid puppies for allowing this admin to do this!

Stopping war for profit. we would not even be in the region if the British run press and our sell-out demopublicans and republicrats hadn't put us there for profit.

Give me a better and more accurate reason for us to have gone there.

Ask the dems to make laws do we can no longer colonialize other countries, and watch those liars run under the British press's skirts and start licking what they do best.

Nice distraction, though. For an idiot. The whole thing was for foriegn interest and countries who are no longer able to waste their resources stealing natural resources from other countries for other countries.

The Dems have always been traitors, but the Repubs just got on board. the military is there for profit as well, picking their arse for the most part.

Time for another tea party, except this time the harbor will be red.

Getting ready to head over to drive supply trucks In Iraq for KBR. Proud to do it. Our troops still need the support as long as they're there. I report in October.It's a pay cut but that's okay. Someone has to do it!