I think what has transpired in Iraq, is similar to the US debacle in Lebanon during the Reagan admin.  The US never learns it's lesson, and this time it has cost more American lives.  This country has got to stop this nonsense of trying to bring "Democracy" and "Freedom" to the whole fucking world.   That was the premise for the US invasion of Iraq, n'est ce pas?  I'm not really convinced it was for OIL.  Maybe it was to have a permanent military foothold in the region.  No matter, what it boils down to is this: By taking Hussein out of the picture, the region is now totally destabilized and engaged in civil war.  Yes, he was a tyrant and a despot, but...he kept the country together and in a manner of speaking, with some stability (maybe not with the freedoms we have here, but ....the world is not gonna be free everywhere, that's just how it is).   So, the US removes Saddam Hussein, and now the Shiite and Sunnis are doing what they do when there is no strong arm to separate them; killing each other.  And...it will continue whether the US stays or leaves.  More American troops will get killed from time to time, but they are really not at war anymore with the Iraqis.  The war we are now seeing is a civil war between/amongst Iraqis.   Bush has unleashed a disaster by going in there.  It will never be too soon to leave, and the region will be totally unstable for some time to come no matter when American troops leave the area.  It is now beyond the control of any American military strength.

Reagan, by comparison, at least had the good sense to pull out the Marines after their little disaster in Lebanon, and let the Christians and Muslims continue to fight it out, which they did both before and after the American presence.   Why do Americans keep failing to learn the lessons of history?