Bush’s mistake was listening to Colin Powell in the first place. He’s the one who insisted on spending months convincing the UN about the WMD’s, then nation-building for years in Iraq. The proper way to deal with Saddam would have been to go in, destroy all the big stuff, kill Saddama and his sons, install our own dictator, and leave. Six months to a year, tops. But an eight year occupation? Nuts.
To believe a people who have never had real freedom or self determination in a thousand years would somehow instantly put aside primitive tribal hatreds and religious rivalries and jump at the chance to share power was foolish and fatuous. Purple thumbs was great, but we were in charge of everything then.
Now, it's all going to shit and no one will ever go back in to fix it.