T, you started off the above looong post with;

"On the subject of bad choice and underestimation with regards to Iraq Amos, the only person who had any choice in the matter was Saddam Hussein and you are right he did choose badly"

Wrong, the US & UN gave Saddam choices & in his choice he complied with the wishes of the UN & open up to inspections.
It's the US who had choices & blundered baly. We had the choice of many avenues both the worst choice & what should've been the last resort was, we choose to invade a sovereign nation, illegally. At the cost & expense of the lives of many of our young soldiers & innocent Iraqi's, at the cost of putting our economy into bankrupcy, at the cost of our good standing in the world, at the cost of the trust of our own citizens, at the cost that own own youth will not see their own government with respect, at the cost of our own leaders becoming war criminals, at the cost of our ownn human & civil rights, at the cost our own freedoms, at the costs of our won saftey.
For some hindsight is the only vision that they're blessed with, some are also blessed with foresight. You weren't in either line when those were being given out. I'm so sorry for you, you have my pithy.

Barry