Flame away, but this needs to be done. The only caveat I see is if they(Iraqis) decide to turn it all over to the terrorists and warlords, then they are all the enemy and that means we go back to square one:
You're either with us or the terrorists.
And in the end that is what our foreign policy demanded. That policy is not 'open ended,' it is meant to make terrorism end.
"Flame away, but this needs to be done"
No flames here. You are correct.
There is a huge difference between privately telling the Iraqis it is not open-ended and PUBLICLY doing it. The first has already been done anyway.