A lot has gone wrong in the Middle East through the years of our last two presidents, not least the rise of ISIS, which requires an aggressive American response. And much of what has gone wrong can be attributed to the Bush decision to invade Iraq, which ranks among the greatest foreign-policy fiascoes in the nation’s history.

Robert W. Merry is political editor of The National Interest and the author of books on American history and foreign policy. His most recent book is Where They Stand: The American Presidents in the Eyes of Voters and Historians.