My only expressed complaints about Iraq have been that we have shown excessive concern for collateral damages. Insurgents holed up in a Mosque? Level it.
That's a topic I've wavered on to a certain extent. There have been times when I felt pretty much the same way as you, but I've had to force myself to be logical about it. And that's reasonably logical I hope. Avoiding confrontations or necessary hostilities inappropriately is something to be avoided at all cost.
The United States exists in an unparalleled situtation in the history of the world. It has the power to crush militarily any nation on the planet. With several it would pay a price that was too heavy in order to do so. Others are essentially defenseless against us.
Once Iraq fell, we could have inhialated any Iraqi resitance with devistating violence. In some situations that is entirely appropriate. In others we have to think strategicly.
Yes we could have blown up that Mosque. We would have neded that mess in a couple of days. And while we would have sent chills through the spines of terrorists everywhere, we would also have sent chills throught the spines of the Iraqi populace at large.
We are about eighteen months into this effort. We have much of the Iraqi population behind us. The Iraqi government is shaping up nicely. They are taking control of their country through newly trained defense forces, that are augmenting our own troops.
Ultimatums are being levied by the Iraqi government today. The United States may be urging the Iraqi government to take that action, but places like Sumarra and Fallujah are being cleaned up.
I believe it was probably wise to avoid destroying the mosque. Sadyr and his crew have been marginalized for the most part. Other clerics have not come to his rescue. It's impossible for anyone to demonize the U.S. for having destroyed a cleric and a mosque.
I don't necessarility like the way we had to do this, but I am willing to accept that in this cooler heads may have been right.