After George W. Bush became president in January 2001 , and especially after the September 11 attacks , the U.S. government increased its attention on Iraq . In the first half of 2002 , a series of public statements by President Bush and senior members of his administration indicated a willingness to use force , if necessary , to remove Saddam Hussein from power . On October 1 , 2002 , the CIA delivered a classified National Intelligence Estimate ( NIE ) assessing the threat represented by Iraq 's WMD activities . Three days later , CIA Director George Tenet published an unclassified white paper on the subject of Iraq 's WMD capabilities . Over the next two weeks , a joint resolution authorizing the use of force was passed by both houses of Congress
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Senate Report on Pre-war Intelligence on Iraq