CS, agree again. Everyone keeps blaming the Americans. Sure they screwed up with the invasion and the initial occupation. But I genuinely believe the American Military have not given up with Iraq. They still think they can make it work. The Sunnis appear to have turned against ALQ. The Americans have now discovered how to make it work but it involves putting thousands of troops on the ground and involves taking heavy casualties.
And what is our response? To pull out our troops..
So many Americans have been killed in the surge, the way the Brit pull-out has been portrayed in the US I believe lasting damage is being done to UK/US relations. Esp if the US have to reinforce the South. Rome wasn't built in a day, but we don't have enough troops to establish security and I seriously question the British "softly softly" approach. Brit Mil is way too small and under-resourced. It is a political failure in every sense and I see little alternative but to pull out our troops.
The article about modern, professional Iraqi women having to cower behind the veil summed the whole rotten thing up for me. They voted for democracy but got thuggery and Islamofascism instead.