Pat,

Thanks for offering that you see merit in some of my points. There's hope for you!

As for what do we do next, I do not see any possibility of our winning this conflict (I'm not even sure what would qualify as a minimum level of  success). I can't make it any plainer than that. The Iraqi government/military appears to have many insurgent allies in their midst. The religious militias are armed to the teeth, just waiting for us to depart. As I stated, whether we leave now, or down the road, a civil war will unfold (and it probably already has begun). Why waste more of our lives and money? Our credibility is shot irrespective of our departure date. Such irony that our nemesis, Iran, not to mention al quaeda, will emerge stronger by our misadventure (that's a euphemism for unmitigated disaster). Radical Islam, that Marc and I fear, are emboldened by Iraq, and successfully using it as a recruiting tool. Prior to the war, radical Islam was under control in Iraq, now it flourishes. The most influential person in the country is Grand Ayatollah Sistani. Sorry for the long winded response.

Peter T.