Don't forget the ham-stringing by our own govt.
Democrats.
I've seen estimates that the Iraq war alone, after all the medical and disability costs have been paid, will have cost $3 trillion. Had Bush come to the American public in advance with a price tag like that, there is no way we would have done it. Congress would have specified 'Just flatten Baghdad and take out their military infrastructure or forget it.' Had we done that, we might have been able to afford to take out the Iranian government the same way.
Arm the peasants, take out the head, and let them figure it out. If we broke it, we don't have to fix it.