The realists out there said that if we invaded Iraq, we’d be in for a long, costly, painful occupation with no easy exit strategy other than leaving the country to the dogs. Our President and his advisors told us that we’d have a brand spanking new Iraq up and running shortly, that we wouldn’t need to have many troops around to keep the peace, and that we’d be out of there in no time. Looks like reality favors the realists yet again, as shown by yet another trip down memory lane (courtesy of Billmon).