Lincoln and Iraq
Today's must-read at The New Republic, by William J. Stuntz BRIEF WARS RARELY PRODUCE LASTING RESULTS. LONG WARS OFTEN DO.
Noble Cause

But bungling and bad management were far more evident in Lincoln's war than they have been in Bush's. Most wars are bungled; battle plans routinely go awry. Sometimes, error gives rise to larger truths; nations can stumble unawares onto great opportunities. So it was in the 1860s. So it is today in the Middle East.

My husband posted on The Post-Civil War South and Iraq’s reconstruction last October.