and the power and water should definitely be running...

The question is, what happens when all the US soldiers leave?

I'll tell you what will happen - this facade, this mirage of progress will melt away into nothingness, sectarian and religious violence will rise and threaten to tear apart the weak central Iraqi government, then one day as Iraq descends into chaos a new strong man will seize the opportunity, rise and take control and hold Iraq together the only way it's ever been held together historically, through brutal repression of all enemies and threats to the state, and this new dictator will at first pretend to be our friend then he'll turn away from us and be our enemy...and he'll also cause all kinds of problems for Iraq's neighbors.

That's my prediction - in less than 10 years a new Saddam will be running Iraq.

So, after 4000+ Americans dead, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead, and half a billion dollars spent, and America's image in the world ripped completely to shreds, what exactly will we have acheived?!?