[CaptainCrunch]

The biggest failure is the under-estimation of the way that the different factions would interact. I'm sure that more then one person said that if you get rid of Saddam and the Baath party, the next step is chicken Mcnuggets and freedom fries. Saddam kept control of the three different groups through complete intimidation and ruthlessness, however due to a cap on the media there when Saddam was in power we didn't hear about violent incidents that did occur.

The American's haven't and can't find a way to unite the different groups, and the Iraq government has really dragged it feet as far as forming thier own independant army and police force and giving it the ability to do what the American's are trying to do now

Unfortunately having the preverbial disturbers in Iran and Syria are certainly not helping the cause, and its now too late to completely throw a blanket over the borders preventing the shipment of arms and professional insurgents.

At some point the American's are going to have to leave Iraq, thats a fact, and Bush did try to set a deadline for the Iraqi government to get its stuff together. It remains to be seen how strong the American resolve is going to be in exiting Iraq.

Right now its a question of time, as oppossed to tossing more troops into the grinder, but I think the penny ante strategy of fighting the insurgents on thier terms have to end. I think the American's really need to focus on the leaders of these groups and thier financiers in order to be effective.

The American government will be there for a very long time if it decides to continue the fight. Then there's the problem of finding more soldiers to go over to Iraq and fight. Soldiers there now are doing double duty to make up for the shortfall. Maybe those senators who are in favour of the war should send their sons and daughters over to fight.

That argument only works in a conscription army, and since this invasion is now years old, anyone who joins the military knows that they're going to Iraq, especially if they're infantry based. The sons and daughters of senators and congress people have the same choices as everyone else on whether they want to join up or not.