re: What should the USA have done after 11 September 2001?

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I think some of their planners knew it would take that long but that the Neo-con true believers and the PR people who needed to sell the war overruled all those people because it would have been way, way, way harder to get congress and the public behind it. Look how the Generals who argued it would take 100s of thousands of troops to secure the country got forced out.

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Brent Scowcroft advised against the Iraq invasion. He also advised against precipitate withdrawal from there, as well.

I recall my reaction to the news that the USA was going to invade Iraq. I was mildly puzzled. Invading Iraq in the wake of 9/11 was not an obvious COA at that time, so, I was mildly puzzled. I think that most of my fellow officers at the time had the same reaction.

In my most Humble Opinion, if we could gather all of those on the PoliBoard who self-identify as GOP or conservative, and we could send them all back in time to 2002 for the purpose of doing a thorough review and analysis of this decision (whether or not to invade Iraq and depose Saddam), I do believe that we would have reached a consensus that it was not worth the risk AND that it was on tenuous legal grounds.