(quote)
"Did you never listened to a word Norman Schwarzkopf said about the last gulf war? "

Well ,Fionn, as a matter of fact I have and if you were at all aware of Schwarzkppf's very first "televised" interview right after the victory ( I beleive with David Frost, but I'll have to review my videotape of it ) he clearly said he wanted to go right on to Baghdad , but was told not by by the Bush admin ( with Colin Powell as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the military as one advocate ). Well ol' Stormin' Norman was immediately called into the woodshed by Bush ,Nat.Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft,
Sect.of Defense Dick Cheney among others ) to "get with the official line" on why the Bush admin elected to "stop" the military from "finishing the job" when it would've been far easier and less perilous than it is now ;including MacArthuresque "nation building".
Schwarzkopf's book was published "after" this "official line" was made clear to stormin' Norman.
So ,yeah Fionn, I "do read". I also pay attention to "follow-up of what ket witnesses and anylysts of history say and do and then "cross-reference".
Try it sometime. You might actually learn something yourself, M'dear. ;-)