Sol Duc,

Sorry to disagree with you, but not every intelligence agency thought that Saddam had a viable WMD program. And the UN chief inspector and his team were telling the world the same thing as well. The intel we did get was from very unreliable sources, and we were forewarned by regional authorities (such as the Jordanians) that our sources were FOS.

From what Bush's former cabinet members say, the guy was fixated on Iraq and was looking for an excuse to go in.

I am biased. I thought it was an impulsive decision made by a stubborn man in an ivory castle. It's cost American lives, worn the military into the ground, and is going to cost $400 billion. That's enough money to make every soldier who's done a tour a millionare.

Remember the pundits who accused Clinton of weakening our military? There's no joy in pointing out our tanks are piling up at the wrecking yard, our armored vehicles wearing under the constant exposure to sand, heat, and fire. Even worn out and used up, our armies still have no equal, no one even close. But George Bush jr, what have you done to us? You giant ass.

There are so many other costs associated with this misadventure that I don't think were ever really considered. Including the mental health issues arising from putting 20 year old kids into situations where in the blink of an eye they need to decide who lives, and who dies. And mistakes will be made both ways.

Good on those who put on the uniform when we asked them, and for making the best of the situation. But I have no shortage of contempt for the civilian leadership that so casually asked them to put their lives in danger, and who ask them to make impossible choices under fire.