"Despite vast U.S. training efforts, rule of law is still mostly an abstract concept. "

Hell, it's still an abstract concept to a lot of people in the US, else we would never have had the Iraq war. Our constitution was set aside so our political leaders could indulge in a little personal grudge match with Saddam Hussein. Think again? We all know this was an unnecessary war, fought for no just reason.

We were promised it would be a short war - it has gone on far longer than even its strongest proponents could have imagined. And over 4,400 of our best and bravest have died while more than 31,000 have been injured thus far - was the new Iraq worth that sacrifice?

We were told it would be a cheap war - that we should just go to the mall and shop and not worry about where the warmongerts were stashing the cost.

We were told Iraqi oil would pay for the reconstruction of that country - but they cannot even heat their homes in the winter, nor can they generate enough electricity to run air conditioning when the temperature exceeds 100 degrees in the summer.

We were told we would be greeted as liberators - but who should have guessed we would be seen as occupiers, touching off an insurgency?

We were told Iraqi's would embrace their new liberty and democracy - but democracy has never guaranteed individual rights or freedom from oppression. That comes with a belief in constitutional protections and a belief in induvidual riights. Instead, we have factionalism and religious versus secular agendas, and Iranian skullduggery underlying much of it.

Go back in and stitch it back together? Let's get the hell out and let the Iranians earn the right to run their country the old fashioned way - without our interference. We have screwed this pooch enough!

why cant we just settle all of this. send are men an weman home an call the war over with an never look back again. This war is just not right. It didnt have to start in the first place. Why cant we all just get along. Look at all the kids dieing thats just not right. What if it was all your little loved ones dieing out there how would you all feel about that. I want to know how you all would feel.

Iraq is a Tribal culture that goes back around 6,000 years; it’s all they know and they will go back to that way of life once we’re able to extract ourselves from this mess because one is more comfortable with what they know and it’s worked for over 6,000 years. There were no reasons to invade Iraq; President Bush was being manipulated by his staff, CIA, NSA, and possibly others. He was not smart enough to know that he wasn’t in charge of this country, his staff was. I saw the daily reports on WMD during all of 2003 while I was there and nothing of significance or of use to any terrorist group was found.

To compound things, after the Gulf war in the 90’s our government (Executive Branch, NSA, CIA, etc.) basically reneged on our promises to the HUMINT agents we had in place throughout Iraq. We basically abandoned them and left them to try and survive the wrath of Saddam on their own.

While we were spinning up for the war in 2002/2003, we weren’t chasing Al Qaeda; we were chasing ghosts from Presidents pass. Because we screw over every HUMINT asset in Iraq and none remained, it was very easy for the facts that were presented to the American People which got us in this mess to be skewed.

We had virtually no HUMINT assets on the ground when this war started (2003); when we abandoned them in the 90’s, word got out quickly throughout the middle east that the United States could not be trusted so it was very difficult to recruit spies to help us in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now, through our leadership we’ve created new training areas for terrorists (Iraq), and have pissed off every Arab in the Middle East and have put Iran on alert because we have them surrounded. On top of this we have made the entire world a more dangerous place for Americans.

We won’t win in Afghanistan because after we leave, like Iraq, they will go back to what they know and with what they are comfortable; a Tribal culture.

And by the way the argument to invade Iraq, that Saddam was a vicious ruler to his own people doesn’t fly because history shows there are a lot of countries even today that have notorious Dictators and our Government picks and chooses who their want to help and who are left to their own demise.

I and four siblings all served in Iraq and three of us were medically evacuated out so we are not arm chair quarterbacking our opinions; we lived through it.

And finally this begs the question which I sure would love to get a decent answer to; why are we not focusing on the ones who hurt us the most? Al Qaeda, the other extremist terrorist groups, and the governments that quietly fund their activities. Democracy is not the answer to every country and culture, if our leadership believes I’m wrong then they are very arrogant and need some history lessons.

Our constitution was set tatil aside so our political leaders could indulge in a little red pepper personal grudge match with Saddam Hussein. Think again? We all know this was an unnecessary war, fought for no just kliptc reason.