I couldn't have said it better.
ER, you are indeed a perceptive soul. Many times on here I've put forth scenarios for history where the US didn't act on impulse and throw themselves into major wars and each time, logic came up with distinct possibilities that things would've worked out much the same or even better in the end. We seem fixated on the instant fix but global human interaction just about guarantees that there never is one.
Those ripple actions are nearly impossible to predict and almost always carry with them very unintended consequences. Quick withdrawal from Iraq guarantees only one thing. Things will change and less American soldiers will lose their lives and limbs.
Art