"That is where the ultimatum comes in. You put the new govt on notice that if they do not meet our demands, what the consequences will be."
What would our demands be?
And why don't we behave this way toward other countries? If they don't submit to our demands, we just bomb them into the stone age.
Sounds like an excellent foreign policy.
"As far as hate, we should be feared and respected around the world, not loved."
In WWII, we shouldn't have started the Marshall Plan. We should have just told the German population and all the Nazi insurgents to comply with our demands or we would continue bombing their country into smithereens. Great idea! Wonder what modern day Europe would look like if we had followed that line of reasoning...
Look, terrible things happen in war. It is beyond any of our ability to even understand how terrible it is unless we have been there. This is why you don’t go to war unless your national security is at risk by not going. Once that decision is made, then you do not have mercy on your enemy until they have met all your demands and you should make those demands very clear from the outset. There should be no confusion about what it is they are to do.
In the case of Iraq, we should have laid out what it is we expected of their leadership.
1) comply with UN resolutions and cease firing at our patrols.
2) allow unconditional and unlimited searches for WMD.
3) Do not threaten its neighbors.
4) Do not support or fund terrorism.
Obviously, there are people out there who can make those points using much better language and speaking skills. Heck, if advisors to our politicians can take meaningless platitudes and turn them into good speeches for every election, then they can take the points I listed and turn them into good speeches. I could if I wanted to spend a few days preparing one but why would I? I’m not a speech writer for anybody.