Can we really ever leave completely? We removed Iraq's military capability to defend it's boarders. All the hardware was destroyed. Do we want another Vietnam where the North rolled into and over the South? I wouldn't put it past any of the surrounding countries to try to annex oil-rich Iraq.

Or do we stick around Korean style and leave our footprint stuck in the sand. Maybe Murtha was right, pull back to the perimeter of Iraq to protect it from military aggression. Problem is, at the same time you would have to be willing to let whatever happens to Iraq internally- happen.

I think the time to leave won't be marked by some level of acceptable violence but rather by when the Iraqi government is given control of it's own security forces. But things don't seem to be going well in this regard.

I don't think the Bush administration is actually looking for ways to get out of Iraq and will keep to it's agenda of democracy building. What might happen is a democrat will win the next election by promising to withdraw troops and put an end to our involvement in the war. In keeping his/her (shudder) promise, and by a clear mandate of the voters, he/she (barf) could effectively put an end to this mess.