>>In WWII we had an entire Army division that did nothing other than reestablish civil government as our front lines passed through. The Dubya and Rumsfeld geniuses thought that they knew better and so disposed of that entirely, guaranteeing that there would be chaos behind the front line. Which of course there was.
In WWII we had military proconsuls like Lucius Clay and Douglas MacArthur running things in the defeated countries, men with some sense who understood the military and what a militarily-defeated country looked like. Post Saddam, Dubya had Paul Bremer, a clueless striped-pants State Department type. This very poor decision by Dubya did not help our cause.
“. Post Saddam, Dubya had Paul Bremer, a clueless striped-pants State Department type. This very poor decision by Dubya did not help our cause.”
Yep, one more brilliant decision by the ever crafty Dubya. In the wake of a war you needed someone who could guarantee that anarchy and gangs didn’t seize power. Instead Dubya chose Bremer.
Restoring order was easier in Europe and Japan which by culture were more orderly than Iraq’s society of mutually hating Islamic factions.