The War on Terror as we know it will never be won. President Bush should get credit for vision, but non for execution.
President Bush had a great plan; he would strike the heart of the Middle East and invade Iraq. By invading Iraq he satisfies many objectives with one move:
1) Eliminate one of the biggest headaches for Israel in Iraq (Iran is another big threat still).
Saddam used to support Palestinian suicide bombers with monetary gifts to their families. Historically Saddam has always had intent to hit Israel (Israel bombed a nuclear installation plant in 1981 in a one day operation to nip that initiative in the bud). Saddam always thought of himself as the 20th Century Salah El-Din and wanted to bring victory to his Muslim/Arab world by destroying Israel.
2) Eliminate Saddam who tried to assassinate his dad (George H. Bush - President 41). This sounds childish but there are many who thought G. W. Bush had it in for Saddam from the beginning.
3) Establish a democracy in the heart of the Middle East. This is where it gets very interesting. I think Bush wanted a Domino effect with this one. a) Invade Iraq b) Establish a Democracy (whether to go along with US interests or not is not important at this point but to entrench the process and the culture of democracy and freedom in one of the least liberal regions in the world) c) People in Iraq will celebrate their new found freedoms, freedom of speech, religion, economic freedom, less corruption, elected offices, capitalism, etc. d) People in the rest of the Middle East (Arabs) will notice the difference between their rotting political and economic systems and the new shinny Iraqi one and would put pressure on their governments to reform - The Domino Effect. e) The Arab world reforms leading to a liberal, tolerant and a more capitalist/meritocratic society-which means a better chance at peace with Israel and less reason to for the young to be attracted to extremism and terrorism. f) The cherry on top for Bush would have been that all these predicted changes would have come under heavy American influence and thus will likely become pro-American which is great for political stability and economic potential (Iraq has a huge amount of Oil Reserves) which means better business opportunities for American companies which equals more jobs, more revenue, and probably cheaper cost on Oil.
If this plan was to go through, this President would have gone down as one of the greatest US Leaders who changed the dynamics of our world for the better. Bush recognized something everybody knew. The difference is he decided to face it head on while everyone else were afraid to acknowledge or admit. He recognized the seriousness of Muslim Fundamentalists and their lethal and increasingly popular movement. This is why he deserves respect.
September 11 was the blow that changed the perception of the US. It brought the United States down from the superpower that no one could approach to a powerful country that was more vulnerable than ever imagined. It gave a spark, a hope to those who wanted to destroy the US and their foreign policy for years. Bush realized that this movement is anti-democratic, anti-liberty, and very violent and thus recognized that it must be defeated. Across Europe, Canada, Arab Countries, etc... all knew the same thing but no one would dare lift a finger to help stop it. Everyone kind of ignored it, Bush didn't and that’s why he is to be admired.
The way he handled this war however was a tragedy. He handled it as an arrogant, ignorant, and stubborn leader would (he was the epitome of what the world thought of America). Starting from over doing the bombing of Afghanistan, statements such as "You are either with us or against us", to linking Saddam to Osama Bin Laden, to the shaky story about Saddam acquiring yellowcake from Niger, to Colin Powell's embarrassing evidence to the UN, to ignoring and eventually overriding the UN, to sending less troops to Iraq than needed to secure the borders and protect the rebuilding of the infrastructure of Iraq (a country seeing its third major war in less than thirty years), to Abu Gharib, to Gitmo, and many more.
All in all, Bush lost the gamble, a big gamble that is. He underestimated history (or he didn't know or care much for it). He forgot that the Arabs and Muslims have been feeling disrespected, let out of the modern world, bitter over the Israel/Palestine situation, angry with American interference in their countries politics with the US helping dictators rule over them for decades. All those who felt out of place, felt left out found sympathy for Bin Laden and his murderous ways. Some sadly recognized him as a hero. Bush failed to recognize that. He thought he would bomb the tar off Baghdad and the Iraqis will come out in their Kobe Bryant Jerseys and Nike t-shirts and sing the American national anthem in thanks. He failed to see that these are battered people, psychologically distraught from three wars (Iran, Kuwait, and the US) along with dealing with their own tyrant Saddam. He failed to see that the Iraqis wanted electricity, security, education, entertainment, things that everyone should get. He failed to provide them with such things because he was arrogant (or stupid) enough to concentrate on defeating Saddam's army more than maintain or stabilizing the country after. He didn't think thoroughly about establishing security, and providing basic needs for people to appreciate his service of removing their brutal dictator. They couldn't appreciate it because their daughters were being rapped, their sons were getting killed, and their fathers were being held hostage for petty cash.
In Bush's defense, the Muslim Fundamentalists knew how to get to the US. They used dirty tactics (like firing rockets from mosques, using schools for gunfights, and others) in order to place the US in compromising situations and since the Americans are supposedly more civilized, the final product is bad publicity for the US. Think of Al-Jazeera video showing dead Iraqi children, or an American soldier shooting at the Minars (tower section) of a mosque. The Fundamentalists knew that this would enrage the Arab/Muslim world even if the Iraqis were the ones who instigated the fight. Any other leader would have had trouble with such dirty tactics, but Bush's attitude and stubbornness made the situation worse. Bush's style allowed leaders and people who don't agree with the Muslim Fundamentalists to partially sympathize with them if not flat out cheer for them.
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