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On July 31, 2005 6:12 PM, Kira Zalan said:

Our (gradually reduced) presence in Iraq will be required for the next five to ten years. There is a philosophy that militaries in democracies must adopt. A military force must understand itself to be a tool of the state, subjected to civilian power. The Iraqi military cannot be abandoned until we ensure that they have the necessary institutional ethos of protecting civilian power. An alternative to anarchy could also be a military coup by a self-perceived independent actor.

On the other hand, it seems the media is getting bored with Bush’s resolve. The topic of a troop withdrawal may be just that - a way to stir the pot.

I hope this isn’t just wishful thinking on my part. I hope there are people that understand the consequences of an early withdrawal, and will withstand the mounting pressure of shortsightedness.

On July 31, 2005 7:24 PM, Warren Frey said:

Hey, I don't disagree that now that the U.S. military is in Iraq, they're in there for the long haul. They shouldn't be there in the first place, but there's not much to be done about that now except bite the bullet and finish the job.

I don't see the nascent Iraqi military stepping up anytime soon, so it's up to the US to create order and make sure the situation doesn't devolve into civil war. But to do that, they need more troops. And more than that, they need functioning infrastructure. Get the electricity running and give people jobs, and you'll find a lot less insurgents ready to pop a few shots at US troops.