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Sooner or later we are going to have to announce that time limit. If the Iraqis don't seize their own future then we should pull back away from the cities and let them slug it out. In that event we should make clear that we are very good at removing regimes from power and putting their leaders in orange jumpsuits and would not hesitate to do that again if that regime once again became a threat to US interests or certain lines were crossed. We may not be able to determine Iraq's government, but we certainly retain a big old olive drab veto over them.

Ok, now you make a lot of sense. This is the same approach I am leaning toward. I love the "olive drab veto" line by the way. You sir are a wordsmith.

"Sooner or later we are going to have to announce that time limit. If the Iraqis don't seize their own future then we should pull back away from the cities and let them slug it out"

This appears to be our new mission in Iraq...it is crazy IMO...it is exactly the kind of action that is going to allow a whole bunch of states within Iraq to grow and become terrorist farms. Let's do what we do whenever we unseat a government...put in a powerful new leader, who may well be as bad as Sadaam, and let him rule with an iron fist, but who will be on our side for at least a few decades until we start arming their opposition. I'm not being cynical, I'm serious...if Iraq isn't ready for democracy, and in a place like this I agree it is a lot to swallow, give them something they can swallow.

But we can never walk away..unless we microchip every citizen there for world monitoring...because a new Osama and co. has been born there somewhere...