Sorry I wasn't clear enough. What I meant is that when the regime was finally changed the US wasn't at the first round of wars in the region. In the 10+ years l

Sorry I wasn't clear enough. What I meant is that when the regime was finally changed the US wasn't at the first round of wars in the region. In the 10+ years leading to the Iraq War and the regime change they had the first Iraq War (now known as Gulf War) and several "Desert %" operations (bombing campaigns). Going from ally straight to enemy and war is probably a big step even for the US.