We dove in the river to save a drowning man. It was a noble effort. We continue to attempt to give the man mouth- to- mouth years later, while the man, his family, and his friends tell us to leave him alone and beat us about the head.
Now... throw the man's enemies into the mix, who are trying to kill everyone on the riverbank. There- you have Iraq. I don't consider the additional actions of holding the man down, and fighting off his friends and his enemies (so we can continue to give him mouth to mouth) to be prudent strategy. I admire the determination, and sacrifice of those ordered to carry out the duty, but I also feel a strong obligation to put their dedication (and lives) to better use.
The man, his family, his friends, his neighbors, his enemies, the world, wants us to leave him alone, yet GWB and his loyal followers, continue to preach " stay the course to victory".
We should of dragged Saddam from his hole, put a bullet in head, and left.
If we had, we would now be able to tell the leaders of Iran, Korea, and perhaps Venezuela that they might be next. Instead, we are bleeding profusely, and have lost the respect of the entire world (and 60% or more of Americans).