George Bush invaded Iraq because Dick Cheney felt it was a way to intimidate the Arab World into not hating us, and because the war against Al-Quaeda wasn't showing any dramatic victories. Other factors; Saddam was a shit whose neighbors and his own people hated, he had lots of oil, and we could set up a puppet state that threatened every major player state in the mid-east (especially Iran!) and could be supplied by sea. And they would pay the price of their own invasion and occupation while securing the world's oil supply.

As for Obama's so-called failure, he is doing exactly what he promised he was going to do: get out of a war we can't win, a squabble between Sunni and Shia, Arab and Persian. The only problem with that is he should have done it years ago.

Iraq's problem today is a religious civil war being carried out by our puppet, and now exploited (not originally started) by Al-Quaeda, all with the participation of Iran, Syria, the Saudis and Gulf States and the Pakis. This war is now going on (in different forms) in Egypt, Libya, North Africa, the Horn, Yemen, Syria, Pakistan and Iraq. Basically, its a Sunni-Shia war. Its all on Bush and Cheney, Obama's major blunder was sticking around and trying to clean up their mess instead of getting out as quickly as he could.

But there is an unintended consequence that may or may not work out in our favor in the long run. The mideast is now split between Sunni and Shia, and everyone there is going to be dragged into that struggle. As long as that war goes on, the Muslim World will never unite and be an organized threat to anyone else. On the other hand, chaos and failed states in the region, especially with terrorist fanatic nuclear-armed players, are a threat to the whole world. The Bush administration will be directly responsible for the second alternative. They will no doubt take credit for the first should it pan out instead, even though they never foresaw it.

And regardless of what happens, the GOP will blame Obama.