With the political tide now turning against the occupation of Iraq, it seems only a matter of time before troops are withdrawn. Once senior politicians and advisors in the White House start talking of comparisons to Vietnam and of 'losing the battle for Baghdad' you know that it means it's over.
I read the other day that military advisors were considering a whole host of options, including moving US troops out of Iraq and carrying out long range strikes at insurgent strong-holds. This would be a clear sign of failure and amount to a retreat on the scale of that in Vietnam. One of the more ironic options being thrown around at the Pentagon involves asking Iran and Syria (amongst other nations in the region) to assist with shoring up support for the Shi'ite leadership. This one must be a red herring, as the pure notion of the Americans going 'cap in hand' to the Iranian and Syrian leaderships asking for help with Iraq would be the ultimate humiliation for them.
The sad case now, is that stay or go, Iraq will stay in turmoil. Bush and his allies have turned Iraq into a breeding ground for terrorists. They have given Al Qaeda a reason to exist and a place from which to grow. Ironically, Saddam Hussein always banned Al Qaeda from entering his country prior to his removal. It would seem that Bin Laden and Hussein were exceedingly hostile towards one another.
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