WASHINGTON -- When will U.S. President George W. Bush have to decide whether to go to war against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein?
The Pentagon has recently decided to send the entire 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division from the U.S. state of Georgia and several Air Force fighter wings to the Persian Gulf, while also notifying two aircraft carriers and two amphibious-ready groups that they could be sent soon. These facts suggest a decision on war is already near, if not already made. But diplomatically and publicly, the administration does not yet claim to have a conclusive case for war.
If and when he does claim such a case, in one sense, Bush could decide to go to war at any point thereafter. American forces can defeat the Iraqi military anytime of the year, and there is no absolute requirement that war occur in 2003, if it is to take place.