Main Entry: due diligence
Function: noun

"1 : the care that a reasonable person exercises under the circumstances to avoid harm to other persons or their property."

In a matter such as the Iraq war that means investigating all possibilities and information before committing lives. That means investigating all the information you are receiving for accuracy. That means not taking the likes of Chalabi at his word, or ignoring other countries, bypassing an organization which is already on the ground there, the UN, accepting dubious information and rejecting information from more reliable sources.

For instance, it was obvious Iraq didn't have nukes. And if she did, wouldn't use them. Saddam didn't use WMDs in the First Gulf War.

Exercising diligence, the President could have assumed the worst and the worst consequences which could flow from that. Even under those situations Iraq could not have harmed the US before being obliterated as much as it has been hurt by Bush's actions.

Due diligence would have shown that the worst of all possible actions at the time was an invasion of Iraq. The reality has validated that. Due diligence would have shown that successful occupations leave the infrastructure in place, the police, court systems, utilities, etc. Looting, for instance, is not allowed. Even successful American occupations have done that. Otherwise the civilian population suffers anarchy and chaos, among other privations.

Due diligence would have shown Bush's was the worst possible action followed by the worst possible plan.

Arf