Considering the cost to all concerned, a prognosis of "no worse and probably much better" is not OK. Those are human beings on both sides. And that's the very, very best you can come up with. The next 12 to 24 months??!!

Remember when you guys were predicting 12 to 18 months, tops, and that Iraq could support it's own reconstruction?

How many lives ago was that?

Your current predictions aren't any better than your previous ones. It will get worse, and worse and worse. Period. No matter what. It's a political problem, remember, not a military one.

The only thing that the military can do now is subdue some of the population when it is present. Unless the US is prepared to station 1,000,000 troops in the country for the next two generations, it's over.

All except the denial. Saw a bumper sticker today in the shape of one of those "patriotic" ribbons - "Just keep thinking it's all right".

Arf