Ron,

Just one point that you seem to have missed, the myriad of resolutions passed by the UN Security Council relate to Iraq and detail what Iraq's obligations were.

As BB has taken great pains to mention and illustrate by quoting chapter and verse. The 1991 Gulf War ended not with a Peace Treaty or Peace accord, it ended with a Ceasefire agreement. Iraq under the governance of Saddam Hussein singularly failed to meet its obligations upon which that Ceasefire Agreement was based - hence previous state of hostilities may be resumed by ANY of the former allies.

Having gone to the UN and having persuaded them to issue Iraq with one last chance to comply fully with the requirements of new resolution 1441 and all previous resolutions, the Government of the United States of America, stated in the clearest possible terms, that ANY material breach would result in serious consequences for Iraq, the US Government made no pretense that what IT meant by serious consequences WAS military intervention to remove Saddam Hussein from power and to ensure that Iraq no longer could pose a threat to the peace of the region.

There were in fact seven material breaches of 1441.

As you seem so convinced of it, perhaps you can indicate the UNSC Resolution prohibiting the US from taking military action - there isn't one - the UN does not have anything like the authority you fondly suppose it has.