There, That About Gets It

Executive summary:

It is hard to exaggerate the Bush administration’s fundamental miscalculations on Iraq, including but not limited to unrealistic policy objectives; fundamental intelligence failures; catastrophically poor understanding of what would characterize the post-Saddam period, and completely unrealistic planning as a result; denial of the existence of an insurgency for several months; and the absence of a consistent explanation to the American people or the international community about the reasons for the war. Small wonder that after nearly four years of warfare, Iraq has been a disaster, costing thousands of lives, requiring the expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars, stretching our forces and reserve system to the breaking point, and becoming a magnet for terrorists and hostility toward the United States throughout the Muslim world.

--Dennis Ross, Statecraft 23 (2007)

“Could,” asks Ross, “the war yet yield a less disastrous and possibly more hopeful outcome?” Perhaps surprisingly, his answer is “maybe.” But then, that’s why he wrote a book.