FINALLY! Well past time for our troops to leave iraq. Not that we should have been there to begin with, but that aside, once we caught Saddam we should have had them come home.
$1,000,000,000,000 and 4,000 + Americans lives to kill one rat bastard. To answer your question, nope. Sorry troops. The missions was a waste. Your bravery and commitment was wonderful. Great news that the rest are coming home. Maybe we do a better job defining the mission, next time.
I can't wait to see the US actually withdraw all of its troops from Iraq, and allow Iraq to have a sovereign, democratic government, which chooses its policies, alliances, friends and foes, based on its own preferences and not on the the dictates of others. If this US troop withdrawal actually happens as promised and planned, then I would credit the US after all! To be sure, the Americans did lie their way into Iraq; ever since, they have tried to force Iraq to follow America's dictates, but still: if the US does withdraw completely and unconditionally, then who can deny that the American ousted a terrible dictator from power and truly liberated a country in the process? Of course, there are many in the US, as well as in the region, including among Arab states as well others, who do not want to see a genuinely democratic, sovereign, liberated Iraq. Which is why the "ifs" I mentioned reflect serious worries that regardless of America's commitments in this regard, there is a chance we may not see the US withdrawal actually take place.
Of course, US troops withdrawl means the IRI will be emboldened and improve Iran's influence. So at the end of the day, the US ousted a terrible dictator from power losing over 4,000 servicemen and liberated a country and then gave it to its arch-enemy, the IRI. Sounds like very smart US policy. *LOL* If you want a truly free and liberated sovereign Iraq, you will want Iraq free from ALL foreign influence, including Iran's. But yes, if you want a truly sovereign government that can choose its alliances (friends and foes) based on the wishes of the people, then yes that would be a great outcome. Did you know Fareed Zakaria is in Tehran now and just interviewed Ahmedinejad? My theory is that there was some sort of backroom deal between Tehran and Washington which is good news. Given tensions between Tehran and Washington, any event can spark a war.
Just considering the financial costs alone, $806 billion (as of March) in direct costs and at least $3 trillion in indirect costs. Was it worth it?
That's like saying I paid $806,000 in direct costs and $3 million in indirect costs to finance my wife's shopping sprees. In the end, she ended up having an affair with the pool boy and marrying him. Was my investment in her worth it? But then again, I think these sort of major events are judged at a much later point in time. IF(big IF) the Iraq War is determined by historians to be the "catalyst" for Arab "democracies" in the region and positive relations between the West and the Muslim world, then yes, it would have been "worth it". But based on my understanding of the region, I seriously doubt it will happen.