If Iran, Then Why Iraq?

Mark Kleiman asks the obvious question: if Iran is the real enemy, wasn't the invasion of Iraq a colossal mistake? After it, it has, in his words:

"1. Strengthened the lunatic anti-American party in Iran and weakened what had been very substantial pro-U.S. sentiment there;
2. Eliminated Iran's most potent regional adversary;
3. Gave Iran substantial power in Iraq through its influence over the Shi'a there;
4. Made U.S. forces in Iraq virtual hostages to the threat that Iranian-influenced Shi'a leaders could call for jihad against the foreign occupiers."

This was completely obvious at the time. It really makes me wonder is these people do any independent thinking for themselves, or just nod and agree with the Dear Leader's brilliant pronouncements.

Then again, why should we worry about who's in and who's out in the global war on terror, when we are ruled by such a great man? In the words of Powerline's John Hinderaker:

"But up close, he is a great communicator, in a way that, in my opinion, Ronald Reagan was not. He was by turns instructive, persuasive, and funny. His persona is very much that of the big brother. Above all, he was impassioned. I have never seen a politician speak so evidently from the heart, about big issues--freedom, most of all.... He is, of course, miles above his mean-spirited liberal critics. More than that, he clearly derives real joy from the opportunity to serve as President and to participate in the great pageant of American history."

So, don't worry, Bush cannot err, and everything he says somehow makes sense in the larger scheme of things. Even the trip to Mars...