It's much too soon to rate Obama or even W for that matter, but the Iraq war was a monumental blunder that ranks with Vietnam in magnitude and consequence.

There are fundamental differences between the Iraq war and Vietnam.

Hussein was violating sanctions created after the Gulf War. He offered to pay bonuses to families of Palestinian suicide bombers for hits. Responsible for deaths of at least 75,000 and possibly as many as 100,000 in northwest Iraq after the Gulf war. While no direct link to 9/11, he did bankroll Al Q training in Indonesia and the Phillipines, possibly provided material support to bin Laden, and may have provided safe harbor for Islamic terrorists. Was trading heavily on the Russian black market, also in violation of the sanctions. Seized foreign aid that was intended to go towards citizens who were economically affected by the Gulf War and the subsequent sanctions. While next to no new WMDs were really found, inspectors DID find technical schematics and other designs in abandoned warehouses that constituted plans for WMDs that some felt were maybe 5-10 years off in the future. There is an argument (I don't know if I agree or not ) that the Iraq war possibly kept Hussein from future plans. We will never know. The news on ISIS also reveals that Hussein did try to keep a certain amount of chemical weapons that were supposed to be dealt with after the Gulf War. Hussein frequently violated rules of no fly zones set after the Gulf War.

There is no question that the Bush administration badly managed the Iraq war after the initial attack. But that doesn't change the fact that the initial action was justified.

It is also not "too soon" to evaluate Obama's handling of Iraq in particular (and the Middle East in general) as a significant factor.

I know you've frequently referenced how much Halliburton profited from the Iraq war. Well remember that Barack Obama, who vowed in 2008 there would be no more "sweetheart deals", has presided over an administration that continues to award no-bit contracts.

Those on the right believe the problems in Iraq now are all due to Obama, while those on the far left are all about solely blaming Bush. They're both right and they're both wrong.