According to many, the war in Iraq is won. Which implies over. Done. Finished. True, the US maintained troops in Germany and Japan long after WWII, and still does, but they have been able to walk down the street unarmed and unarmored since the end of those wars.

And it's clear that with 300,000 US troops, mercenaries and support personnel are required to help keep the peace. The Iraqi police and army, despite being trained for longer than WWII lasted, despite Iraq having had a large army and local police forces, is not capable of forcing "peace" upon the people. And never will be at this rate. If it were, US troops could leave. (As the Iraqis stand up the US can stand down. The Iraqis did stand up, and then ran.)

So, is it worth paying for 300,000 people to stay over there to enforce the comparative "peace"? Well, developments may make it necessary. After all, that's why so many have died, why the US has and will pay trillions.

"Iraqis fear U.S. pullout of volatile Mosul. Country's poverty-stricken city considered al-Qaida's last stronghold."

GWB could have learned something - "Oh what tangled web we weave when first we endeavor to deceive." Or something like that.

Arf