You will get hate pings on this statement as I do. What you say is exactly true, at least for Iraq. Iraq caused multiple political problems that all came together in 2006 focusing on Bush and republicans. Hannity-bots see the surge as a great victory but it was a major loss because of the political effects at home. The war took way too long and cost way more than the expectations that GWB created to sell it in 2003. Hannity-bots simply deny that GWB ever set expections high initially. The fact that GWB ran it off budget, not funded by tax increases or spending cuts, allowed him to be re-elected in 2004 but doom party in 2006+2008. He had to increase all types of deficit spending because of Iraq, politically. Bush taught country that government is free with Iraq.