In my view, Americans should have planned on the basis that they had to withdraw from Iraq within two years. If this meant leaving in place a modified Baathist regime, so be it. But it is dangerous to walk into a country and dismantle every governing institution there is; especially if the country is a part of the notoriously proud and hostile Arab world.

I think that America should have gone into Iraq, hunted down and publicly executed anyone guilty of atrocities against Americans, publicly executed the leading Ba'athists (preferably in a humiliating and unpleasant way), and then put into power any regime willing to kiss our rings. Until it showed signs of harming Americans, at which point any officials guilty should have been publicly executed. Again, preferably in a humiliating and unpleasant way.

Our big mistake in dealing with the "proud" Arab world has been truckling to their pride. That only convinces them of our weakness.