The video to the immediate right of this article is a stark reminder about the necessity of NOT leaving Iraq until it's stabilized, which is something Obama is NOT committed to doing. Let me provide a simple analogy that will put the entire Iraq conflict into proper perspective:

Dave's friend came over to Tom's house to help him kill a rodent that was eating up the entire garden. Dave killed the rodent and left, but he departed without teaching and providing Tom with preventative measures to avoid the encroachment of another inevitable rodent who preys on young, weak unprotected gardens. As such, another rodent came to Tom's garden a month later and destroyed everything.

Americans need to avoid their natural propensity towards shortsightedness and recall the (ongoing) decolonization process in Africa, the Middle and Latin America - particularly in nations where the colonial power simply packed their bags and departed. Additionally, what about Afghanistan? I know most Americans watched "Charlie Wilson's War."