Even on Memorial Day, the troops don't support the troops
A solider quoted in today's Times makes a point I'm almost positive I've made here before (though I can't find it now) and that's worth reiterating: "If we stayed here for 5, even 10 more years, the day we leave here these guys will go crazy."
This is why any opposition to withdrawal that's based on the "things will get worse" argument is a failure. Yes, things very well may get worse. I hope they won't, but I suspect they will. The real question is: is anything that we're doing in Iraq likely to change that? The answer is clearly, no. We can stay for 5 years, 10, 50 -- at some point we're going to have to leave, and things will get worse. The only difference is that we'll have been there that much longer.
Anyone who says preventing things from getting worse is a reason to stay is obliged to explain how staying will ensure that when we do leave, things will get better. Maybe there is some change in policy that could make that happen, but we're not trying it, and I don't believe this administration (or, frankly, the next one) is capable of coming up with it.