Learning the hard way

Lessons learned and/or reinforced by America's experience in Iraq:

1. The UN weapons inspection team’s approach worked just fine and their conclusions were correct.

2. The country we call Iraq was cobbled together foolishly by the British after World War I and has only been relatively peaceful under strong-arm dictators.

3. Occupying a foreign land when you know little to nothing about its history, customs and language is an extremely difficult task.

4. The Germans and French were correct in their opposition to the invasion and, as friends are supposed to do, they tried to tell the US as much. George W. Bush would not listen.

5. Members of the military and their families are loyal and dedicated to their service, and they will sacrifice greatly when asked to do so. Therefore, they should never be asked to do so unless absolutely necessary.

6. The Powell Doctrine, which holds that overwhelming force must be used and an exit strategy must be in place before taking military action, was a set of beliefs formed by the experience of military service and not a policy developed in a think tank.

7. There was no terrorist network in Iraq plotting to launch attacks at the US, but the invasion has created one.

8. The Bush Administration is completely incompetent.