I don’t think any other President in the 20th Century has been lambasted, chided and ridiculed on one topic more than George W. Bush has on Iraq.  Ever since the first announcement was made that we were going into Iraq until now – five years later – critics and even many friends of Bush have spoken out against this move. 

Those that oppose our efforts in Iraq speak of the fact that we have no business being in that country, especially since much of the original reasoning for going in was allegedly based on faulty inteligence.  Further, there have been so many scandals throughout the war that many have completely missed the line between conspiracy and reality.  Every day it seems there is another person in the media comparing Iraq to the quagmire that developed in Vietnam during the 1970’s.

Overall, Iraq has without a doubt been the most challenging aspect for the Bush Administration, and probably has been the most difficult thing that George W. Bush has faced in his entire life.   

As George W. Bush is approaching the end of his Presidency, though, many people are beginning to wonder what exactly the long term outcome in Iraq and for the Middle East in general will be.  Just 18 months ago, it seemed like we would never fully see resolve in Iraq, thus increasing the discussion of quagmire.  This has also led to opposition candidates in the current presidential election talking about troop withdrawals and timelines for getting our military out of Iraq, regardless of whether or not the candidates have the first hand military experience to make such calls. 

Whether the situation in Iraq has taken a turn for the better or if it is just a temporary improvement, government officials, military leaders and foreign policy specialists have all agreed that the current status of U.S. involvement in Iraq has indeed improved.  Security on the ground is at the highest its been since the beginning of the war.  Development – economic, social and otherwise – is also reaching new highs than ever before under Saddam.  Relations between Shia and Sunnis, while not perfect by any means, are showing decreased agression.  The Al Quaida insurgency is being restricted and posing less of a threat every day.  The Iraqi government is thriving, comparitively speaking, and has made more progress than ever expected by this point.  The Iraqi military and national police has struggled, but both are starting to show signs of improvement and potential for long term sustainability. 

Now, the question is, will all of these positive developments continue if the U.S. and our allies are not in Iraq?  The consensus says there’s no way we can expect sustainable improvements in Iraq’s newly developed social, political and economic infrastructure if the U.S. was to pull out any time soon.  It would only be a matter of short time until the insurgency revived and returned.  Give them the opportunity and they will not hesitate.  Supress them and they will stay burried in their dirt holes.  Can the new Iraqi government continue to surpress the insurgency on their own?  This is the question of the decade. 

With all of the positives laid out, this is not to say that everything in Iraq is peachy.  Morale in our military is low.  Further, while the death toll is lower than 18-24 months ago, news of troops dying is still crossing the wires on a daily basis.  Further, the insurgency is not completely dead.  Surpressing the insurgency doesn’t mean we have killed it permanently. 

What will the long term outcome in Iraq ultimately be?  President Bush has maintained for years that we will not see the ultimate positives coming out of our action in Iraq for many years.  Indeed, this could be more like generations before we truly see the full benefit come to the Middle East as a result of the U.S. and our allies being involved on the ground. 

While the question of when will continue to be illusive for the foreseable future, the question of if is gradually fading, making even the most skeptical realize that in the end, Iraqis will benefit from the U.S. intervening.  On the ground in Iraq, the far majority of the people have welcomed our involvement and have enjoyed working alongside us.  Have their been challenges?  Of course.  Down times?  Yes.  However, the fact that we did not waiver will make all the difference in continuing to supress global threats that reside in Iraq. 

This does not mean that Bush’s legacy is peachy.  In reality, President Bush’s ‘I told you so’ moment will not come for many years.  Most people will not even begin to realize that the route he led the country into was the best at the time for many years.  It is even likely that this will not happen while he is still alive. 

However, George W. Bush’s long term legacy will be much different from what we read about him from today’s media reports and pundit opinions.  Americans will eventually look back and realize that the action the President took in 2003 was the best move for the country at the time.  Was it the smartest thing to waive a “Mission Accomplished” banner so soon?  No, but come on – we can easily chalk that up to public relations at this point, rather than some bold statement that he was trying to make about the status of the long term outlook of the war.  Conversely, the statement was not so risky, because we indeed accomplish a very important mission, which was to remove Saddam Hussein, one of the world’s most threatening dictators from power. 

There will no doubt continue to be Monday Morning Quarterbacks from now until the end of time, talking about what Bush should have done and how his decisions were wrong for Americans.  However, it is easy to criticize such  moves when no one can imagine the difficulty of such decisions, especially when inteligence is faulty and you are leading a country that was still tending a fresh wound from the most audacious and threatening attack on our country since the 18th Century. 

If you are capable of truly considering the big picture in the matter, you will inevitably have to realize that facing Iraq and Saddam head-to-head was the only real option for the President at the time.  When the Barrack Obamas of the world criticize these moves, they do nothing but weaken our current presence there.  Further, talking about withdrawal only sets the people of Iraq back, dismantling the impressive progress that has been made heretofore.  But the War will continue to serve as a political football for candidates running for office, hoping to fire up voters enough with emotions and misleading information that will help get them into office.  Presenting a real option to address the actual situation is a non-issue to many of these candidates. 

Ultimately, President Bush knows Americans will swing back his way again one day.  Unfortunately for the President, he will likely be long passed before history will give him the opportunity to even think about an ‘I told you so.’