Why are we still asking about winning in Iraq? The war was against Saddam and his army; he is dead and the army has been defeated. We have already won the war. The only remaining question is, can we create a stable government and society? I have come to the conclusion it is highly improbable. In order to create  stability we need to achieve some basic objectives.

* Unite a divided country.                              
* Create a functional government that represents the interests of the people.
* Reduce or eliminate crime, violence, and corruption.
* Create opportunity that lifts people from poverty.
* Establish a secure border.

It is from this list that I draw my doubts about our ability to create a stable Iraq. We are unable to achieve these objectives at home, how could we possibly expect to achieve them elsewhere? Our division is not only wide, but deep as well. I question the functionality of our government, and it seems the interests of the people are hardly represented. Crime, violence, and corruption could certainly use reduction here at home. Poverty, which we should be able to reduce, isn't getting any better. And securing our borders needs serious attention. 
         
I certainly will be hoping we can achieve these objectives in Iraq. But I will be hoping even more that we can acieve them at home. I realize we can't just completely pull out of Iraq, but we should focus our efforts on objectives where we have proven success, whatever they may be. Of course, maybe we already have achieved success. We have created a divided country with a dysfunctional government that hardly represents the interests of the people: a society filled with crime, violence, and corruption: poverty with little opportunity to achieve security: and a porous border that threatens the security of the nation. Maybe it is time to withdraw and see if the people of Iraq can do any better than us.