I don't think you can place a specific number on the number of casualties, it that is your point. A quagmire is when we see no hope of achieving our objectives and withdrawal is the only reasonable option. We have not reached that point at all in just a scant few months.
We must stay and achieve our goal Which is, in your opinion?
Our goals are to provide the conditions for the establishment of a democratic government in Iraq; to eliminate Iraq's support of terrorism; to stabilze the region including the free flow of oil to fuel the global economy; and to change the region's political dynamic to promote democratic ideals and institutions. For a start...
No, I don't think so either. We shall be more certain in retrospect, which is why I asked my question.......
Is this what a 'quagmire' looks like at its start?
And the answer is...perhaps.
Our goals are to provide the conditions for the establishment of a democratic government in Iraq; to eliminate Iraq's support of terrorism; to stabilze the region including the free flow of oil to fuel the global economy; and to change the region's political dynamic to promote democratic ideals and institutions
Very ambitious goals to be sure. Funny, I don't recall GWB or friends saying anything about including the free flow of oil to fuel the global economy
You're not telling me the lefties were on the mark when they claimed...'it's about oil', are you?
A quagmire is something else - it is when the withdrawal is not longer possible without significant cost! A quagmire is a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot and which is difficult to extricate from. Afghanistan was a quagmire for Soviets - their withdrawal undermined their government. Algeria was a quagmire for French - it led to the constitutional crisis in France.