Couple of things in that:
1. I agree with you on France, except that I think that part of the motivation of the French and Europeans generally is that a change in regime, much like what happened in Eastern Europe, can occur without the need for the brutality of a war. In the meantime, weapons inspectors can keep Saddam from developing WMD. The European experiece of war is 60 years old but still shadows the continent. They don't see the point when the political implosion of Eastern Europe demonstrates that there is an alternative way.
2. One thing investors know is not to put all their eggs in one basket. This is a strategic concern to diversify and its equally applicable to national strategy. Why put all your oil eggs in the Saudi basket? By controlling Iraq, the monopoly of OPEC is broken, new contracts come up for US oil companies, the US isn't toally reliant on the goodwill of the Saudis, and the US has a new offshore Strategic Oil Reserve. There are too many long-term economic benefits to oil companies from a successful war in Iraq.
3. I was gratified Powell spoke on this issue, but everyone knows, most of all the US govt., that the task of nation-building is not something they do well, or even like (Republicans used to scorn the idea, when Clinton wanted to do this in Somalia.)
