The insurgents who blew up the mosque aren't doing it because they believe they can win, but because it prevents the country from stabilizing. Keeping the country and U.S. troops caught up in turmoil serves their political ends. Its not a strategy to win a civil war in Iraq, its a strategy to make it impossible for the U.S. to succeed at remaking the Middle East. Not only have the Sunni insurgents kept us off-guard, but they have now succeeded in guaranteeing the sectarian militias will retain power and damaging the standing of the U.S. among all of Iraq's sects.

This was all very predictable. Its why I believed that going to war in Iraq would not serve our long tern national interests. We allowed our testosterone overtake our minds and the fundamentalists have sucked us into a military debacle that will sap our resources for decades.

All one needed to do was examine the intransigence of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict to get a clear idea of what we were in for in Iraq. I made this very prediction right here on this bulletin board. You don't invade a country of over 22 million people, most of whom are driven by religious fervor, and expect to win hearts and minds. It doesn't work that way.