[Perlstein]

Lex, look at the Brookings Report. It's full of "stated objectives" not met.

I'm a professional historian, and wholeheartedly agree with you about Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam.

I'm just not sure ousting the Baathists, only to have them replaced by Shi'ite Islamacists allied with Iran will be a strategic gain.

[LexBaird]

Perhaps as a professional historian you might point to a war of this scope that you consider to be "well handled".

I'm just not sure ousting the Baathists, only to have them replaced by Shi'ite Islamacists allied with Iran will be a strategic gain.

Howzabout we stick to what has happened instead of making dire predictions? So far, liberal predictions of dire consequences have been abysmal, from the "winter quagmire" predicted for Afghanistan onward.