At least Bush I had the brains to figure out that a ruthless dictator like Saddam Hussein was preferable to the utter chaos that would unfold over there with "democracy" under Islamic tribalism.
I fear you are right. If there is one thing the "Arab Spring" has taught us, it is that the Muslim world is totally unsuited for liberty and democracy. They seem to crave the lash on their own backs. From a realist point of view in the West, the best that can be hoped for is to help King Abdullah of Jordan conquer the whole place, or failing that, to raise up some new Mubaraks and Saddams and Qaddafis.