Anyone who suggested that what is happening today was a likely scenario was criticized as being a pro-Saddam appeaser, anti-American, or both. Yet a sober assessment of the difficulties ahead would have helped to avoid many of the mistakes that have proved to be so costly in terms of American lives and resources – not to mention the suffering of Iraqis.
2002-03年冬天，对战争后入侵期前景的预测让伊拉克政府更迭的支持者们亢奋不已。只要有人提出可能发生今天这样的状况，肯定会被斥之为拥戴萨达姆的和事佬、反美主义者，或者两者兼具。但如果当时能够清醒地考虑到可能遇到的困难，就能够避免很多错误的发生，而事实已经证明这些错误让美国在生命和资源上付出了惨重的代价¾这还不包括伊拉克人民受到的苦难。