I don't think it was a mistake. It was the way we chose to fight it that was the mistake.
Bush provided steady leadership during Panama and Operation Desert Storm. We went in to break stuff. And then we got out. No problems with that.
Should have toppled Saddam at that time. Had to come back and do it again later.
His son should have done the same when he went in Afghanistan, take out the Taliban and then turn it over to the Northern Alliance.
Yup.
I didn't have a problem with invading Iraq the second time to take out Saddam. But we should have turned it over to the Iraqi Army and then left.
Yes.
Paul Bremer made the worst possible mistake by dismantling the Iraqi Army so all the soldiers with guns became insurgents.
I said this very thing the instant I heard they were contemplating doing this. I said at the time this is the absolute stupidest thing you could possibly do, and I could not believe all the military officers, who supposedly went to war college and learned war history, would not rise up in unison to tell him he's a d@mned fool if he does this.
He went further than that, and banned all Bath party members from any government jobs. I said at the time he has just taken the most dangerous men in Iraq, and made them into our mortal enemies.
He created the utter mess that Iraq became, and I cannot believe he did it without George W. Bush allowing it.
Dumbest thing you could do. Killed thousands of our people and tens of thousands of theirs as a result.
Saddam was a useful buffer against Iran. Iran was always the bigger threat.