It seems long ago but it has only been three years. Then, we were assured that invading Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein would bring freedom to the Middle East and security to the world. Sceptics warned of pitfalls obvious to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Iraqi history or a tenuous grasp of political dynamics within the Arab and Muslim world. Yet even the sceptics turned out to be optimists.

The Iraq adventure has been a story of epic obtuseness and serial bungling by the Bush administration, trailing an exiguous band of allies, led by Tony Blair, in its wake. America's reputation - for statesmanship, for projecting power, for even basic competence - has been badly damaged.