Samson
Póg Mo Thóin
If Bush had put the 250,000 boots on the ground when we went in to Iraq in the first place, and if he had listened to his generals on this, we would not be in this mess today.....
When Germany was defeated, we did not leave (we still haven't). No radical Germans have attempted to violently create a "Nazi State."
When Japan was defeated, we did not leave (we still haven't). No radical Japanese have attempted to violently create a "Imperial State."
When S. Korea was rescued, we did not leave (we still haven't). No radical South Koreans have attempted to violently create a "Communist State."
Clearly, creating a successful nation after defeating an unsuccessful nation requires a very long term commitment of resources and a presence.
The USA somehow ignored this clarity in Iraq, despite the MANY cases, (e.g., practically every nation in Africa and South America) of early withdrawal resulting in anarchy.
I would have been astonished had ISIL not formed. I will also be amazed if anything called "Iraq" is on a globe 20 years from now.