What I still find so disheartening is the lack of American protest. Clearly the war has no purpose, has no winning, and
whether the US pulls out of Iraq in 2008 or 2010 or 2015, as
soon as they do there will be civil war.

Agreed. Had George Junior the maturity of George Senior, the plan could have been delimited – knock out Saddam and his regime – demonstrating Will and Power – then get the hell out – demonstrating Maturity, Balance and international Trustworthiness. ie: we didn’t go in for the oil – but to knock out a tyrant.

Look at the price of oil per barrel in 1997, then 2004, and then yesterday. By ignoring the best option for Middle-East optics, American Interests and economic security have been sacrificed.

What would have been saner to pay for this crusade is WW II-style rationing. But no, the spiraling prices of oil and fuel are doing that.

“Mr. Davis”

I think that diminished wind in the war protest sails you refer to is about to reach gale force. But agreed, not because of the war. And if anything will drive protest harder it will not be the MSM but instead the business press.

The daily review of deregulated horrors in the Financial Times, The Economist, and the world’s Business and Money Sections makes it unequivocal – continuing the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan was not properly planned, financially managed properly, ever cost-effective, or smart policy. Someone said, DO IT!, and all hell broke lose.

In the days of Vietnam as more people were directly by the death toll more people said – enough, no more.

But Vietnam never threatened to bankrupt the US, not compared to the incredible cost of this extravagant jihad, one ostensibly against “Islamists”, more specifically to deny other countries equal access to dwindling oil reserves, [see WW II.] As more people see their leaders want to stay the course despite a slow and undeniable global economic paralysis fewer of them will be content to keep quiet. Can you imagine running a business in a credit freeze?

As the Bush term of office winds down and the occupation continues more people – from all political directions – will ask themselves Ronald Reagan’s intuitive question about government policy

- Are we better off than under the last President? And as well ponder

- Is the country in better shape after Mr. Bush and his policies?

As the banking system tanks, the automotive sector goes on life support, home owners become bankrupt home losers, the price of food and fuel goes into orbit, all those high paying jobs skitter away off shore, and the occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan (and Iran?) continues for another ten or one hundred years the answer for millions is “Are You Kidding?”

For those who see America as having turned into ENRONica – the war is only one lit thread in a very deadly fuse. Were it only one problem – occupation of Iraq, or Afghanistan – things could eventually subside. Add all the elements together and you have a perfect storm of combustibles.