Main Points of support:
America as a defender of justice

---

(http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/currentaffairs/region/northamerica/us030522.html)

"Our Nation's cause has always been larger than our Nation's defense. We fight, as we always fight, for a just peace—a peace that favors liberty. We will defend the peace against the threats from terrorists and tyrants. We will preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers. And we will extend the peace by encouraging free and open societies on every continent."
-President Bush
2002
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss1.html)

After the attacks on the twin towers in 2001, it became clear to the eyes of the Unites States and the International community that America was not safe from the threat of terrorism. In fact it had gone to show how unstable homeland security was, and how powerful an impact so few people could make on the foundation of the United States and essentially the world.

(Picture from: http://www.biblia.com/911/)

With President Bush declaring war on terrorism, the decision to attack Iraq in order to dismantle Saddam Hussein's regime, was in many people's eyes the right path to choose in order to most efficiently handle the threat. The basis being that Iraq (along with North Korea and Afghanistan), under the rule of Saddam, actively supported terrorist methods and harbored terrorist forces within his borders. On top of that, there was a strong belief by many top analysts and government officials that Saddam was harboring WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) which, if true, could very likely end up in the hands of Al-Qeada. If WMDs got into the hands of Al-Qaeda, it could mean absolute disaster.

In terms of the Just War theory, and the justifications for going to war, Bush's decision to attack pre-emptively was justified by the immediate threat that Saddam was thought to impose at the time the decision to go to war was being made.

SADDAM AS A LEGITIMATE AND IMMEDIATE THREAT TO THE SAFETY TO THE UNITED STATES

"Saddam Hussein has chemical weapons. Saddam Hussein has used such weapons. And Saddam Hussein has no compunction about using them again -- against his neighbors and against his own people. And we have sources who tell us that he recently has authorized his field commanders to use them... He wouldn't be passing out the orders if he didn't have the weapons or the intent to use them. These are missiles that Iraq wants in order to project power, to threaten and to deliver chemical, biological -- and if we let him -- nuclear warheads."
-Secretary Colin L. Powell, Feb. 2003
(For the full speech given by Colin L. Powell click below http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2003/17300.htm)

Although there was no concrete evidence that Saddam was dealing actively with Al-Qaeda, nor that he was actually in the posession of WMDs, there were enough arguements against him at the time to justify an invasion of Iraq and removal of Saddam from power. Saddam was known as a ruthless dictator much before the bombings of 9/11, and some of the confirmed activities that he has been accused of is history of aggression, oppression towards his people, and purposeful deceit in the international arena. On top of that, Saddam had been in posession of of nuclear arms before a UN sanctions imposed a ban on the use and posession of nuclear weapons in Iraq.

Image of Saddam Hussein
http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/asie/irak.htm

"Saddam’s ambitions conflicted with the region and the international community. True to his name, he too often chose confrontation over cooperation. Ultimately these decisions led to total collapse" -Duelfer Report

After Saddam was successfully removed from power in 2003, the aim of the war shifted to the broader goal of constructing an atmosphere supportive towards rebuilding a government in Iraq. This would be done by eliminating the threat and power that the terrorist network held in Iraq, thereby enabling a safe environment for an election to take place.

A list of the objectives and reasons the invasion of Iraq is justified with respect to the war on terrorism as stated by the White House:

1) With the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, Iraq is no longer a state sponsor of terror. According to State Department reports on terrorism, before the removal of Saddam's regime, Iraq was one of seven state sponsors of terror.

2) Saddam Hussein's regime posed a threat to the security of the United States and the world. With the removal of Saddam Hussein's regime, a leader who pursued, used, and possessed weapons of mass destruction is no longer in power.

3) Saddam Hussein would not uphold his international commitments, and now that he is no longer in power, the world is safe from this tyrant. The old Iraqi regime defied the international community and seventeen UN resolutions for twelve years and gave every indication that it would never disarm and never comply with the just demands of the world.

4) A senior al Qaida terrorist, now detained, who had been responsible for al Qaida training camps in Afghanistan, reports that al Qaida was intent on obtaining WMD assistance from Iraq. According to a credible, high-level al Qaida source, Usama Bin Laden and deceased al Qaida leader Muhammad Atif did not believe that al Qaida labs in Afghanistan were capable of manufacturing chemical and biological weapons, so they turned to Iraq for assistance. Iraq agreed to provide chemical and biological weapons training for two al

5) Qaida associates starting in December 2000.
Senior al Qaida associate Abu Musab al-Zarqawi came to Baghdad in May 2002 for medical treatment along with approximately two dozen al Qaida terrorist associates. This group stayed in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq and plotted terrorist attacks around the world.

6) A safe haven in Iraq belonging to Ansar al-Islam -- a terrorist group closely associated with Zarqawi and al Qaida -- was destroyed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In March 2003, during a raid on the compound controlled by the terrorists in northeastern Iraq, a cache of documents was discovered, including computer discs and foreign passports belonging to fighters from various Middle East nationalities.

7) The al Qaida affiliate Ansar al-Islam is known to still be present in Iraq. Such terrorist groups are now plotting against U.S. forces in Iraq.

8) Law enforcement and intelligence operations have disrupted al Qaida associate Abu Musab Zarqawi's poison plotting in France, Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Russia. The facilities in Northern Iraq, set up by Zarqawi and Ansar al-Islam were, before the war, an al Qaida's poisons/toxins laboratory.

9) Abu Musa Zarqawi, the al Qaida associate with direct links to Iraq, oversaw those responsible for the assassination of USAID officer Laurence Foley in Amman, Jordan last October.

10) Saddam Hussein's Iraq provided material assistance to Palestinian terrorist groups, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, HAMAS, and the Palestine Islamic Jihad, according to a State Department report. This included paying the families of Palestinian suicide bombers, according to testimonials from Palestinians and cancelled checks. Also, according to State Department reports, terrorist groups the Iranian Mujahedin-e-Khalq and the Abu Nidal organization were protected by the Iraqi regime protected by the Iraqi regime.

The goal of removing Saddam Hussein from power and disableing his regime was undoubtedly a success, but the second leg of the war has been the focus of much debate, especially with the issue of WMDs in Iraq, and the success of American troops of establishing an environment supportive of an election in January of 2005.

Some resources in support of War on Iraq:
President Bush Outlines Iraq Threat
The U.S. Department of State Iraq Information Page