Liberal Talk Radio

When Chuck Hagel writes this:

The future of Iraq was always going to be determined by the Iraqis — not the Americans.

Isn’t he arguing, in effect, that it was a mistake to depose Saddam Hussein? Taking out Saddam would seem, if nothing else, to be a pretty blatant effort by the Americans to determine the fate of the Iraqis. And doesn’t it also violate the Pottery Barn Rule? That is, we broke it, but it’s up to them to fix it?

These one-sentence Sunday-talk-show aphorisms are all well and good, but they seem to be working at cross purposes.