A question that will be debated for a long time, but it is quite evident that the war was planned, and the plan activated, long before diplomatic avenues were exhausted.

We all remember Paul O'Neill who revealed that, then newly inaugurated, President bush pushed for the plans to "invade Iraq within days" after taking office. Well before 11 September 2001; but just before then National Security Advisor Rice was warned about a possible attack by George Tenet and Bush received the infamous PDB of August 2001 entitled "Bin Laden determined to strike in US." But I digress...

But who cares right? O'Neill was an ex-administration official who may have an axe to grind so he doesn't count, right? R i g h t... And Rice and Bush both forgot about the warnings so that's all kosher as well. O K...

Then Woodward came along in '04 with a book that the White House proclaimed, according to CNN's John King, people should "...read the book." Because "[t]hey believe it shows - it paints the picture of a president who asks the right questions, the tough questions, before going to war and then decided that he was right in launching that war." Dr. Rice gushed about the publication of the new Woodward book stating "He is terrific. He's a great journalist, and I look forward to reading it." This same book also concluded that planning for the invasion of Iraq began in December 2001, apparently without planning for the occupation, and was in no going back mode by January 2003.

Now, and john beat me to it, emails between Rove and Abramoff reveal that a year before going to war with Iraq, the plans were set. A lobbyist knew before the public or most of Congress.

But the question stands unanswered, when was the war actually planned and operational and why were we told it wasn't?