There were no "similar actions". The reason we call it a "War on Terror" is because Bush took the offense and made it a real war. Clinton had badly undermined our military and it was obvious to every thinking person in the 90's that the next President was going to have a MAJOR task on his hands.
Bush was up to the task. He took the offense after 9/11 and never let up. Everyone was saying at the time that it was inevitable that another major attack was coming to the US. Guess what? It didn't and we have George W. to thank for that.
Bush was relentlessly sniped at (and still is today by many on the right as well) but he never gave in and our security today is due directly to him. Yes, he was Reagan II as you put it. And coming decades will show that he remade the Islamic World so that we could live in safety. I don't take it for granted...many do.
I wasn't a war it was a State Department micro-managed C.F. that endangered troops lives to REBUILD Iraq. War? What do you think it is? here are your rules soldier. You can't do this, this, this, and this, and this. If the enemy nations civilians don't like you they can go to the State Department and have you, your platoon, your actions in a hostile area second guessed by the town friendly Islamics. Military investigators will aggressively investigate as well. Sec of Defense will not stop persicution of troops. SEC of Defense lacks the fortitude to act and back up his troops. But answer me this then. If Bush made such wise choices why did Obama keep Gates?
War is not fighting under limited ROE's. It is not limiting targets too minimize damage to enemy nation. War is the absolute no holds barred act of going in with whatever military force needed and taking out the nations military, ALL Infrastructure which could even remotely be used for military use by them ever again by them. It means persons in that nation are going to die as well. It means not repeating the same type of warfare that has been used against us since Korea by the enemy. Rather in war you must all with prejudice destroy any and all suspected havens for the enemy and suspected enemy. If they are embed within the civilian population then all pay for it just as all did in Japan and Germany.
By night three of air strikes the Iraqi War was another nation building project at our expense. That is wrong.
Bush chose the worse person for Sec of Defense not once mind you but twice. Ever hear the term Hollow Carter Military? Want the name of the man who in part started the breakdowns that lead to it? Donald Rumsfeld. He was Gerald Ford's Sec of Def. The military under Ford's last tenure was pretty much like the Carter years. The breakdown was underway by Rummy policies like the AWOL to Civilian policy which he tried unsuccessfully to put into policy again under Bush. It began the cheapening of Honorable Discharge.
I'll explain it. Some vets of the 1975-1978 era who served say a year and got out two years and got out etc most were not under Honorable terms. They deserted. Why did they do so? Because after 31 days all they had to do was report to another command, turn themselves in for a General Discharge and their obligation which they were not drafted to do ended. they were free to go. I am not making this up it happened considerably and as a result desertions ran high and discipline and morale was low.
Bush was up to the task. He took the offense after 9/11 and never let up. Everyone was saying at the time that it was inevitable that another major attack was coming to the US. Guess what? It didn't and we have George W. to thank for that.
By not destroying Iraq enemies know several things. The U.S. Taxpayer will rebuild not infrastructure it destroyed in air strikes it will also rebuild the military STRONGER than before. We can rebuild Iraq's but not our own? That is morally WRONG!!! The next radical cleric, the next charismatic thug, even Iran can walk in and YIPPIE they have a better armed and trained by the United States force for terrorism than before. That is not the purpose of war.
Bush was relentlessly sniped at (and still is today by many on the right as well) but he never gave in and our security today is due directly to him. Yes, he was Reagan II as you put it. And coming decades will show that he remade the Islamic World so that we could live in safety. I don't take it for granted...many do.
Bush for bringing in Poppy's advisers and Poppy's and Ford Era people rather than Reagan people was a continuation of Ford and Poppy. He was no Reagan on any issue except tax cuts.
We would be far more secure today and terrorism would be low risk had we simply leveled Iraq and left it in smoldering ruins for nations like Iran too see as a warning. That is war. That is how it is supposed to be done. That is how it was done till Korea.