Going into Iraq being more of a reach - not if you look at the process that led up to the tabling and adoption of UNSC Resolution 1441.

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the US reviewed the overall security situation and conducted what amounted to one of the most widespread and detailed risk assessments ever carried out. The result of this work identified a number of scenarios, what would be required to carry attacks through to completion and who would be likely to to support and assist.

Iraq, Libya, Iran, Syria, North Korea were all identified and ranked. Of all the worlds leaders, Saddam Hussein was the only who openly applauded the attacks of 9/11 - Iraq had nothing to do with those attacks and that was acknowledged by the US Administration within days of the attacks.

From the evaluation Iraq was judged to be the country most likely to provide assistance to an international terrorist group (not necessarily Al-Qaeda), as such the outstanding questions regarding Iraq's unnaccounted for WMD, raised by UNSCOM had to be resolved as a matter of extreme urgency. Newly elected US President G. W. Bush had very little to do with this process, he and his administration acted on advice given by many who had served the previous Clinton Administration. It should also be remembered that it was the Clinton Administration who made it an official foreign policy aim to remove Saddam Hussein from power (That Act was passed in 1998)

Action could be taken through the UN on outstanding resolutions - only thing was Saddam did not co-operate. Not that much of a stretch.