A good assessment and I agree with the conclusion: It's time to attack in the other direction

Colonel Tim Reese is an advisor to the Baghdad Operations Center. Where I advise a Brigade, he advises the big heads two echelons up. He wrote a memo that was "leaked" to the press (New York Times, at that) explaining that US forces should declare victory and go home, since the current Government of Iraq (GOI) doesn't want us here anymore. Except to give them stuff. Militarily, we have ridden this thing about as far as its potential will take us.

Our team discussed the memo and for the most part we are in agreement. The Bike riding analogy towards the end is especially applicable. Maybe another appropriate analogy is a teenager with a car: He/she wants to drive, but doesn't want to pay for gas or insurance (or the car), doesn't know the limitations of the car and his/her ability to operate it, occasionally goes to unfamiliar neighborhoods and gets himself/herself into trouble and expects mom and dad to come and bail them out, then wrecks the car, and promptly demands a new one.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/world/middleeast/31advtext.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=middleeast

We are gonna start loading our containers now. Off to pack!!!
Ron