The United States is Reduced to Begging Iraq to act like an Ally

One recognizes anew what a calamity our ten-year Iraqi occupation has been in noting that we now must stoop to begging that nation’s leadership not to allow Iran to use Iraq's airspace and roads to transport weapons to the ruthless dictatorship in Syria, which continues to slaughter innocent civilians, including children.

By the time the toll of the Iraq debacle can be finalized, if ever, it is estimated that we will have squandered $2 to $3 trillion, lost about 4500 of our valiant soldiers, and endured the injury of tens of thousands more.  Additionally, the estimated death toll of Iraqi civilians is 100,000 plus an incalculable number of injuries sustained by others.   Furthermore, the loss of prestige and respect for the United States can never be quantified or overestimated.

Afghanistan was the war that we needed to fight after our modern day of infamy, 11 September 2001, not Iraq.

There should be no question in the minds of the American people that Iraq will be under the influence of Iran, the big winner to emerge from the occupation, and that all we sacrificed will be quickly forgotten.  The fantasy that we would be welcomed as liberators, our soldiers the recipients of flowers, and that the fall of dictator Saddam would bring about a domino effect of Middle Eastern dictatorships becoming friendly democracies has been exposed for the fraud that it was.

It would have been difficult to imagine the Iraqi occupation developing into more of a mistake than it has been throughout the past long decade, and which it shall always remain.