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I have an active duty family member and ultimate success or failure in Iraq will have little reflection on him and his brothers in arms.

Your statement is foolish because it is wrong.

My nephew's words in an email reflect the words of his brothers, "We can not fail. If we fail in Iraq, we're failures. Since we are not failing, we are not failures. And you can take that to the bank. Tell the folks back home causing trouble to grow a spine."

You let me know when a soldier says, "If we fail, it's o.k. I can still hold my head high."

If the average foot soldier in Iraq is basing their success or failure on the future stability of an Iraqi democracy then we are in deeper trouble than even Buckley has concluded.

Armies are not created for, nor should they be in the business of nation building. Based on your definition of failure, every Vietnam vet is a failure because the mission failed. You and I both know that is ludicrous.

While I applaud and admire the dedication and sacrifice of your nephew, my brother and all our servicemen and women, the best they can do is to stabilize conditions in Iraq to the point that we can let them govern themselves. What happens after that is out of their hands and reaching that point without a protracted occupation is less than guaranteed.