First we have to understand we are not at war with Iraq. We won the ten year war against Iraq and Saddam. We pushed them out of Kuwait, we got them to agree to a cease fire, not an end to the war, we bombed them under Clinton and we ended the war under Bush.

Now we are in a war where we are an ally of the government of Iraq. While they ramp up their own army and police and try to rid their nation of corruption, death squads, etc. we are there to "hold a line" and not win any war. We aren't the army that sets the limits on where we fight or how hard we hit.

Sadr is a good example. We would have taken him out but, the new government wanted to try appeasement. While I am an opponent of appeasement with any enemy that views appeasement as weakness, that was their right and our obligation to respect that right. It is their nation and while we are committed to helping that government we are also hamstrung by their decisions.

There are some who say that is all the justification we need for leaving. If they aren't going to let us use full force to "win" battles against terrorists, then we should leave. However, that wouldn't be living up to the commitment we made without the hindsight to know things would be this bad.

Putting more troops in when they can't hit any harder than those now, can't go any places the ones their now can't go, and would be even more "hated" for being an "occupying army" would be a mistake. Now, if the new government of Iraq says, bring them and let them fight without all the restrictions, I would agree to it. More troops aren't needed until there are fewer limits on how they can react to terrorists like Sadr. If Mosques are going to be "off limits" or the "civilian casualties" are going to be a major cause of restricted fighting, a hundred thousand more troops won't stop the violence.

It is hard to be patient and let a new government find its way out of this mess. It is hard to lose American lives daily even if that loss of life is less than our own nation's homicide rate. It is hard to see what needs to be done and not be able to do it. But, that is part of letting a new government find its course. We ended up with a civil war over our differences and we had the "greatest government" on earth.

Don't get me wrong. There is lots that could be done but the new government has to be in on it, support it, and make it their agenda, not just ours.