Under Saddam, there was a government which could "sustain, govern and defend itself". And there was NO al-Qaeda in the country in spite of neo-con efforts to manufacture one. Now that's all down the tube. No WMDs, either.

"Bush, staff meet with bipartisan Iraq group. 'Really good discussion' on strategy, president says afterwards."

Bush said the goal in Iraq still is “a government that can sustain, govern and defend itself and serve as an ally in this war on terror” and that “ “the best military options depend on conditions on the ground.”

As far as the best "military options", the military has always said it needs more troops, Rumsfeld overruled 'em. And the results show that many more troops were needed. There are just enough troops to prop up part of Baghdad and the government, which couldn't stand for a second without a foreign occupation army in place.

Not only that: "Top Marine: No Plan For Post-Saddam Iraq."

And we knew that, too.

Arf ("Really good", Bow? I can hear him now. "Rilly rilly good, totally awesome.")