Dale,

I know you are not a far-right winger. In fact, on social issues, you are in the same camp as many on the board. I'm telling you, Dale, you should be investigating the Libertarian party (though I'm not with them on many things).  I must disagree with this quote:

"The only people who want a civil war are a few radically pissed off Sunni's who no longer have absolute power."

I believe that there are thousands of these folks. They are determined, capable, pissed off, and armed to the teeth. Additionally, there are tens of thousands of muslims in neighboring countries who do not want to see democracy take root. I remember when the war started  someone wrote that we shouldn't think of the United States as having invaded a country of 22 million, we should think of our country as having invaded  a region of hundreds of millions of muslims. You think it's worth the gamble to risk civil war while hoping for democracy. I believe it was apparent from the start that  the odds were not in favor of a happy ending. I don't believe American lives are worth the gamble. When all is said and done, I believe we will have lost far more than many could have imagined. History will not be kind to the Bush administration. Guess we'll just have to see the rest of it unfold, however ugly it may be.

Peter T.