Looking Back on the Invasion of Iraq

For John, BLUF:  Political truth is a plant that takes a century or more to grow and even then it may not grow straight.  The other possibility is that memory is just very short.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Looking back on it, I think that going into Iraq the second time♠ was a mistake, however hopeful I was at the time that the Iraqi People would take advantage of it to become a democracy like Germany, Italy or Japan, following World War II.♥  If Iraq went Democratic then the "Arab Spring" would have started that much sooner.  It didn't work out that way and, in my humble opinion, part of the reason was that Retired Army General Jay Garner was not left in place to run the transition to Iraqi Democratic Rule.

However, now, looking back, many don't see it the way they did at the time.  Thus, there is some pushback by the COP.

Hat tip to the Instapundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  The first time, after the invasion of Kuwait, was based upon a Joint Staff Strategic Plan updated by my office, through the efforts of then Colonel Montgomery C Meigs, III.  And a good job it was by Monty.
♥  Actually, Italy before the end of the war.