The US has been in Japan for 55 years and all we got was a country with a constitution not to rearm itself, a military base in Asia and a great trading partner. Japan meanwhile has the second largest economy in the world.

Pretty much the same thing in Germany (the military bases part)

I'm not at all saying that Iraq will become a great and thriving powerhouse democracy with great ties to the United States. The simple fact is that no one knows what will happen. Starting with the patently false assumption that "America can't make this happen" or "Muslims won't accept Democracy" or "Republicans can't do this right" flies in the face of hundreds of years of history.

People want to have a voice in their government. People don't like to be randomly pulled out of their house at three in the morning and beaten with the back end of an AK-47. People don't like to have their children sent awat for ten years because they "said the wrong thing". People don't like to live in constant fear of even their own neighbors.

Sometimes such things take a long time. Sometimes not.

Sometimes things take a wrong turn.
Sometimes not.

Sometimes Democracy takes root leaving people to vote against you (Good example, Turkey). Some people will hate you. Some wil love you. Some will be indifferent.

That's fine. That's the way the world works. You take your chances and do what you can.

I certainly don't claim to know what will happen or what hardships or setbacks will occur. The world could hardly be worse off without Saddam in power than with him in power.