The Rest Is Classified 155. The Road to Iraq: How 9/11 Changed Everything (Ep 3)
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May 10, 2026 A deep dive into how 9/11 reshaped Western policy and cleared a political path toward Iraq. They trace pre-9/11 regime-change ambitions within the Bush team and CIA covert plans. The conversation covers rising WMD fears, anthrax panic, and how WMD became the public justification. They also unpack Tony Blair’s role, MI6-CIA ties, and the push to craft a persuasive legal and political case.
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Regime Change Was Preexisting Policy
- The Bush administration already favored regime change in Iraq before 9-11, driven by policy moves like the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act and covert actions.
- Key actors (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz) carried Gulf War grievances and a preexisting drive to remove Saddam into 2001 planning.
9-11 Shifted Risk Appetite Toward Military Action
- 9-11 radically lowered Washington's tolerance for risk and reframed priorities, making military options more attractive.
- Even as Al-Qaeda was identified quickly, administration figures began discussing Iraq within days as an opportunistic next target.
Policy Entrepreneurs Pushed Iraq As An Opportunity
- Some officials seized 9-11 as a political opening to remove Saddam, with Paul Wolfowitz suggesting a nontrivial chance Iraq was involved.
- Bush warned ‘not right at this minute,’ signaling delay rather than rejection of Iraq as a target.