hey. . the idea for a Tee-shirt slogan just popped out of my brain after posting the above comment. . .
WAR ON TERRORISM = WAR ON PERCEPTION.

Yes, the invasion of Iraq was notable for the profits being made in each stage of its execution. There was profit to be made from knocking it down and profit to be made from building it back up.

Profit, that is, initially to arms manufacturers and then to private contractors. The U.S. government acted essentially as a conduit through which poured taxpayers money into the pockets of these private contractors. In the end there was a ratio starting at around 3 to 1, and rising, of private contractors (mercenaries) to American servicemen.

The whole immoral debacle is a salutary lesson in the limited influence of ordinary citizens in a democracy when a government (of whichever creed) decides to take a country to war.