[Eight Ace]

[quote="Sgt Stryker":e3c02]I honestly thought at the beginning of the war that we could build a democratic government in a sea of fundamentalism, and show the Arabs the way to prosperity.
However thanks to Dumbsfeld and the idiots in Washington, we are now likely to fail because we have not captured the hearts of Iraqis fast enough.[/quote:e3c02]
I was hoping that too, and I agree it looks likely to fail...I reckon now that any major infrastructure
(power/water etc.) that is restored by the US will be sabotaged so quickly that it will be impossible
to keep fixing them, same with the oil pipes. The last thing these "islamic warriors" want is to see life
for the average Iraqi to improve because of a western coalition occupation.

Like Afghanistan, the borders are so loose that any al-queda/anti-western fighters can arrive and
proceed with jihad on the crusading infidel in what they must be seeing as a "fish in a barrel"
scenario, I don't believe these guys are all "saddam loyalists" nor do I think they need an osama to
order anything anymore.

Even if the US was too pull out after setting up some kind of government in Iraq, what are the chances
of that government succeeding in keeping all the factions together...?
The reason saddam was left in power after the first gulf war was that the US believed the
fundamentalism, mainly from Iran, that would quickly fill the power-void, was even worse.
This will still be the situation if the US and allies leave now or soon, but what will be
the cost of staying...and will it be worth it?