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President Bush, and his supporters, including candidate McCain, scoff at the idea of putting US military presence in Iraq on the clock. They tell us, the public, that a timetable for departure would be irresponsible and embolden the enemy who is, I presume, Al Qaeda. McCain is ready to stay 100 years to achieve "victory". Sorry McCain fans, he really did throw that number out there.

Though invading was the real disgrace, we've developed a very dangerous situation based on dependency. At the moment, neither the Iraqi government, nor the people, will seize the impetus to build up their country. Al-Maliki's Shiite dominated government continues to concentrate on consolidating power instead of running the country. Relying indefinitely on the United States to do the heavy lifting must stop! The time has come to prepare for American departure. Our leaders must publicly, or through back channels, inform the Iraqis when we are leaving. War planners have done little else right. To avoid the same chaotic, desperate flight from Vietnam, an orderly, measured and most importantly, well - planned withdrawal is in order.

The American public has little faith, or patience anymore, for following the Administration's version of "victory" as a mission measuring stick. "We'll leave when we win", Americans have been repeatedly told. Pathetically, no one can define winning. The image of our victorious commander declaring such, on the USS Abraham Lincoln, in front of that now infamous banner, evaporated a long time ago. A few years back, Bush and company rolled out "benchmarks" to measure the Iraqi government's progress. They missed our objectives so badly that the idea quickly disappeared from the Administration's list of talking points.

Our leaders continue to stress that the solution is now political, not military. Success hinges on the maturation of the Iraqi government and attitudes of its people. A Constitution, thus, governmental structure is already in place. To make it, those in power must respect and follow the rule of law. The ruling party should protect every Iraqi's rights, whether Shiite, Sunni or Kurd. Al-Maliki needs to foster Sectarian understanding and not manipulate rivalries. Obviously, Iraq's young government has stumbled, badly, at times. One must wonder if the 100,000 plus American troops on Iraqi soil help or hinder this growing process.

Most unfortunate of all, President Bush hands resolution, of this great misadventure, off to his successor. Either Barack Obama

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