I tend to agree.
I was in Iraq in 2006 - when I was there the plan was to eventually draw down but retain 4 bases and retain about 10k troops in Iraq.
These troops would be there to keep a lid on things - kill the hard core Islamist’s, keep the local government on track, and supply stability and security to the local forces who kicked the doors in and were the first line of defense to take care of things.
By 2007 the locals had mostly turned on the foreign fighters and were working with us to root them out.
Do you remember that when we went into Sadr City again in 2007 that the Anbar awakening councils sent 300 fighter to support us in that operation?
But somebody - Obama - thought he knew better and pulled everyone out. Then went on to destabilize the whole Middle East.
So Bush had a plan that would have worked, but Obama did it differently. Bush warned him, but O thought he knew better.
Oh, I’ve also been in Afghanistan - twice - once under Bush and once under O. O’s rules of engagement got ALOT of our folks killed... and sold the whole deal down the river.
I’ve read around here the numbers, if I remember correctly we lost 6.3 KIA a month in the first 7 years in Afghanistan under Bush, and something just over 25 KIA a month in the first 5 year in Afghanistan under O.
And yes, O sold out the Iraqi’s who helped us, and the Afghani’s too. Thus making our country considered unreliable on the world stage for any potential partners.
Obama ruined so many things. I guess I get so mad at the Bushes because I apply an opinion with the benefit of the hindsight of history, seeing the consequences of GWB not standing up to the left. I believe you are right given more time we were finally on the right path - it just took too long to get there and by then the left had made deep in roads on sapping the public support. This is what I blame Bush for as it set the table for Obama to apply his terrible strategy.
911 happened and I really liked GWB and now feel like a moron for it not just for the war but for all the globalist crap, Saudi ties and then Jeb and them attacking Trump while being chummy with Obama and Clinton.
I suppose I take all of then negatives and retroactively apply them to his handling of the war. I know I'm an ideologue and a partisan (although I lost my party on a cronibus) which makes it tough to see things objectively - but man I detest the Bushes days.
I do know that it was the GWB experience that led me to be quite open to president Trump's "don't get fooled by terrible phoney leaders again, adios amgios, America first" message.
Sorry for the ramble and thanks for the reply. Once again thanks for fighting for me.