Why are we at war with Iraq?

The usual liberal answers:

Bush/someone lied to us, mainly about the nuclear weapons.
We want control of the oil.
Our leaders are power hungry to remake the world in the American image.

The usual conservative answers:

911 proves we cannot just keep peace talking with terrorists.
Fight terror abroad instead of at home.
Free people are less of a threat to other nations than oppressed people.

Those are the most common answers given on each side. When compared side by side the conservative answers appear to be more logical and altruistic while the liberal answers are clearly driven by deep emotion and little thought and few real facts. However, behind the conservative view there is one very strong emotion hidden by the facts and the logic ... it is fear. When you listen to conservatives long enough you come to realize that their clearer sounding thinking is covering up a deep insecurity and fear of change.

Okay, that is what people on both sides say publicly, are those the real reasons? Listening to everyday people talk candidly in their homes, which I have the opportunity to do in my unique job, I don't think so. I think we are at war simply because a large number of Americans believe deep in their gut in peace through strength. Many liberals hate war and speak out against it every way they can but if put on the spot, they would believe strength is necessary to be free. Conservatives attach positive emotions to peace through strength such as Honor and Bravery and Self Sacrafice. But for the people that are there fighting, and for the people that are here making everyday choices that keep the war happening, regardless of what they voice, the common feeling is peace through strength. And that is why I think we are at war. Because as a culture the majority of us believe in peace through strength regardless of what labels we put on ourselves otherwise.

Historically peace through strength has been an effective option. It built this country and has freed countless other people throughout history. It is the way we are taught to deal with a bully ... to face up to them. It has it's points ... but it will always return to war, that is it's nature. You cannot have peace through strength if you don't demonstrate that strength and use it when peace is waning.

I believe that ultimate peace will not be achieved through strength, nor will it be achieved through negotiation and compromise. I believe peace will only be achieved when the level of conscience of the majority of the people rises to a place where war is no longer possible. People will not war because their conscience will not allow them to.

I don't think that being for or against the war, or war in general, helps to raise the conscience of the average person. To achieve ultimate peace we need to find ways to redirect the emotions behind the feeling of "peace through strength" into strengthening the emotion we call conscience. If all the energy we spend being for or against war was instead pored into increasing the conscience of the average person, real peace would take hold on our planet with a speed that would dazzle the most optimistic among us!