All those things were widely said at the time, even Bush'41 knew the 3rd one just as he had known it in the earlier gulf war.

Americans did the best they could at the time.
With time it had become obvious that it would be much tougher , thnx in great part to all great neighbouring nations of the ME who would hate it all to work out for Iraqis and used the internal tension with in the country for creating total chaos.
A chaos in which the most optimist Iraqi would wish for Saddam to return.
The Americans later on did try to use some influential prominent people from the old regime to build security forces.

Yeas it was a mistake and gamble that did not work out so well.

All the possible regional problems were well known before hand, the sectarian trouble in the country itself were well established for many decades.
These were obvious before the time, not becoming obvious with time.
The failure to accept and plan for all those "known knowns" is just anothetr indication of how much of a failure the mission was.

For every decision there are those for and those against.
Yet decisions have to be made this way or another.
It turned out as it did so some may have party now.....
In this case Americans are victims of self confidence and nativity about ME...something they cant get rid off to this day or at least play it this way for political reasons...to keep some doors opened.

The problem I have with that logic is that we went to Kuwait with a stated goal. They didn't lie about the reasons and they stuck to the original goal. There's no blame to be had over that.

Too many read the BuyBull.

We went to Iraq for the oil. Just waiting on the fat tankers to hit our shores. After all, "We hept'ed them out against the turists." "Them 9er'11 turists." "Spent gazillions." :88)

I think withing the context of the rest of your speech, that should be "erl". :O:

Obviously the postwar period was incredibly poorly planned, no question there.

However, predicting that a full scale civil war would break out is another thing altogether.

Who knew the Balkans would dissolve into civil war in the 90s?

Why did Lybia not descend into civil war after Qaddafi was toppled? There was'nt much of a state apparatus left.

What about Egypt or Tunisa?

Why did Syria erupt in a civil war? surely not for lack of a repressive State apparatus.

Why has Saudi Arabia not dissolved into civil war? it has a large Shiite minority.

Its a lot easier after the fact to analyse what went wrong. It was not that obvious to anyone on april 9, 2003.

Or change geopolitics of ME.
Showing finger to Saudis a bit might had been the bonus as well.

Actually, if you look back at the Gulf War coverage, you'll find reports about the Saudi government hiring a PR agency to promote the idea of an armed response to the Iraqi invasion. The Saudis were very fearful they would be Iraq's next target and were also fearful the US and other nations would do nothing until the Iraqis were at their gates. To ensure the intervention of the US and others, the PR agency trotted out stories of Iraqi atrocites, e.g., raiding hosptials in Kuwait and slaughtering newborns, as a means of stirring up anger and loathing among the the mebers of Congress anf the American people. However, as far as I have seen or heard, little, if any, of the claims made by the PR flacks have held water...

It should also be noted that at the time of the lead-up to the war against Iraq, there were a number of "whistle blowers", some from inside the White House, who openly stated the Bush administration refused to even consider any information or intelligence not linking Iraq to 9/11. One report that stands out in my memory is one White house staffer who, when he told the President and others there were no proven links, was taken aside and sternly told 'it has to be Iraq, there is no other acceptable conclusion'. The staffer went public, was quoted and reported in the mainstream press, but lost in all the chest thumping and sabre rattling...

<O>

"Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican"

Strange but i never heard any serious claims that Saddam was linked to 9/11 somehow.:hmmm:
I don't remember Bush claiming that.

Nor I. Just WMD that were never found.