Floof, sounds like you want to repeat Chamberlain's mistake of appeasment of the Nazi's. I think you're overlooking the fact that the islamo-nazi's think they are still fighting the crusades.

When your enemy tells you they are evil and would like to see your kind eradicated--unless you convert--then you ought to take them at their word. When Ahmanijad says he wants Israel wiped off the map, he's not joking.

The prosecution of this war is the most vivid illustration of Sun Tzu's proclamation that all battles are won before they are fought. The reason we lost Iraq--and we did lose--is because Bush was not ruthless enough. Al Quaida is not loved, they are feared. We are not feared, we are laughed at becuase Rumsfeld insisted in fighting this war with 200,000 troops less than he needed. If we didn't have the troops, we should have not invaded. All battles are won (or lost) before they are fought.

Its a shame too. The Iraq invasion (as ill advised as it was) could have reshaped the middle east toward a road to democracy. All that is going to happen is that all our allies are going to be slaughtered when we leave. No one in the arab world will ever partner with us again.

I don't blame the liberals. I don't blame the French. I don't blame the Russians. I don't blame Al Quaida. I blame Bush and Rumsfeld. When Al Quaida takes Pakistan, gets nuclear weapons and takes down an American city or 3, we'll all look back to the botched Iraq invasion and Bush's incompetance and rue the day he was born.