I’m not even sure Iraq can be saved at this point. Thanks GWB
“When GWB left office Iraq was relatively secure,”
Laughable
Bush kept Iraq “relatively secure” through the brute force of 160,000 US troops. With “contractors” and civilian support, plus a few thousand Brits and other “token” forces, likely over 200,000 total. Thousands of Americans killed, 10’s of thousands wounded and maimed, over 2 Trillion dollars spent. Many, if not most, saw the folly and warned GWB not to occupy Iraq and not to remove the Baathist government. It was never going to be sustainable. He did it anyway. Recognizing history and dealing with current reality are not mutually exclusive. At this point, we have to look at what it is going to take to “save” Iraq. Is it worth a third Iraq war? War with Iran? The long term implications for the region are massive, yet the rest of the world has remained firmly in the “you broke it, you bought it” camp, and our only significant ally, GB, is highly unlikely to return to Iraq. The Saudis and GCC countries should be crapping their pants and mobilizing forces, but they are silent. By all appearances, we are all alone in this.
Trump’s choices are likely just two. He can continue his policy of “getting us out of endless wars” and watch it burn, or he can commit enough troops to stave off this current crisis, and hope it lasts through the election. The latter is most likely, in order to appease both sides and deny the left political talking points. In the political calculus, another war is not an option.
Thank you. Yes, President Bush did a great deal of good, including reminding the rest of the world that the USA can win wars, after Vietnam.