If/when we leave Iraq in large numbers, the so-called chaos and civil war could be short-lived, indeed:
"…with U.S. troops gone, the Iraqi security forces will be inclined to wage war the traditional way. That means massive use of firepower against civilians in any neighborhood where the Sunni Arab terrorists show up, or are found. In Syria, the 1982 uprising by Islamic radicals was put down, in part, by the destruction of the town of Hamat, and the massacre of over 10,000 civilians there."
Meanwhile, confusion continues, with a British think-tank saying Iraq is near collapse. I suspect that Gen. Patraeus, who sees "stunning progress" in al Anbar province, obviously disagrees.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 