The term "quagmire" is very appropriate. One didn't need to be a rocket scientist to see this coming. We already had a good example of what to expect in Gaza and the West Bank. The Iraqi version of intifada is likely to persist for some time and is the obvious consequence of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Unlike the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, though, we have put ourselves right smack in the middle of it. And, the Iraqi insurgents have a source of suicide bombers that is 22 times larger than do the Palestinians.

One hopes that the new Iraqi government might be able to get these attacks under control. But at the moment, the insurgency is stronger than ever. Our own intelligence puts their strength in the hundreds of thousands and their capabilities of conducting attacks at an average of sixty per day. This isn't ending anytime soon. More American soldiers will die and billions of dollars more will be spent.

But we can't just leave. We now have a moral obligation to help the Iraqi people achieve peace, stability and security. And walking away would simple feed the aspiration of our enemies. I'm not happy about it. While I continue to assert that going to war was a terrific failure in judgement, the only solution at this point is for us to spend lives and money to ensure our success. That's the quixotic quandary of this quagmire.