I thought this morning's comments by Sen. McCain was disgraceful. His implication that not staying in Iraq will create a "defeated army" is absurd. The troops have performed magnificently and won every battle. It's the politician's leadership that has failed. Iraqi politicians who have decided that tribal loyalties are more important than a functioning country and American politicians who came up with our ill-fated misadventure in the first place, including Sen. McCain. To try and put the failure on the troops is despicable.

Look, history has shown that people do not want to be occupied by foreign troops. We didn't want to be occupied by the Brits, the Iraqi's don't want to be occupied by the U.S. and the only times this natural resentment has been defeated is when you garrison an overwhelming force like we did in Germany & Japan.

There was zero chance that we were going to institute the draft necessary to raise sufficient troops to succeed, so to go in thinking that history would not repeat itself was stupid and the politicians who advocated the Iraqi invasion and occupation should be thrown out on their a@@.

To blame the troops for you own miscalculation is just cheap politics and McCain should be ashamed especially since he should know better.

McCain did not blame the troops for anything. Perhaps a more objective view of his position is called for. I see it thusly: Whatever mistakes we made in committing to and prosecuting the war in Iraq, we are there now and can only go forward. Our options at this point are:
1. A complete and immediate withdrawal: There is wide acknowledgement that this would bring even greater chaos and death to the country and region; Some likely outcomes:
a. Iran and Turkey invade Iraq;
b. A regional Sunni-Shiite war;
c. If oil traders even think that Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq oil will go offline, they'll drive oil to $200.00/barrel or more;
d. A Kurdish polgrom committed by Iraqi Shias, Iran and Turkey - could anyone's conscious stand that?
e. A widening of the conflict outside of the current Iraqi theatre of operation;
I see this as unlikely, since those responsible for the withdrawal would also have to bear responsibility for the unimaginable consequences.
2. A gradual withdrawal:
Likely outcomes:
a. Given the current makeup of Iraqi forces and government, this would amount to a gradual co-opting of Iraq by Iran. We already see Iranian involvement in Iraq. We also note Pres. Ahmadinijad's comments on his intent for the future of Iraq.
b. Partitioning of Iraq into Kurdish, Sunni and Kurdish sectors - a permanently unstable situation.
c. Our continued military involvement in aid to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan - oh, and more money to Israel.
Whatever our intentions, we would have to honor our commitments in the region where we are paradoxically viewed as a stabilizing and destabilizing force. This means that while we would not be stationed in Iraq, (where we would be the most effective fighting force), we would certainly find ourselves there. This was the scenario that caused us to invade in the first place!
3. Stabilization and Partial Withdrawal:
Likely outcomes:
a. The attrition of Sunni foreign nationals fighting under the "Al-Quaeda" banner, because nothing discrourages people from fighting like being defeated and/or killed;
b. The pacification and stabilization of Shia nationals - As normalcy comes to the average man in the street, so to will stabilization of the population centers;
c. Borders secure against Turkey and Iran - they would not dare make major incursions into an Iraq under American control, because they know they would lose any conventional battle;
d. Stabilization of the Iraq-Iran relationship - once the Iranian religious leadership sees that they will not be able to manage their relationship with Iraq by subversion and force, there will be new civilian leadership which will settle on old-fashioned methods - patience and diplomacy.
e. Stabilization of the Turk-Kurd relationship - Once Turkey is convinced of a permanent (if reduced) American presence, they will also have to settle on diplomacy over force to satisfy their desires for a stable "Iraqi-Kurdistan" that will no foment unrest in "Turkish Kurdistan".