Every Muslim killed by Coalition forces is used by Al Qaeda as a recruiting point. I’m not saying that those who support the war in Iraq are lending support to the enemy, but that is the effect of it.
Uh huh. So victory can only be achieved through surrender?
You’re not French, are you? 
Inappropriately-narrow conceptual framework, Moto-san. The ostensible remaining purpose of our involvement is to liberate and stabilize the country, not defeat it. The battleground is the locals’ hearts and minds. Kicking their asses won’t win them.
Except for the minority Sunnis who are about to lose their control, their hearts and minds agree that they want us out. Help us out here - what do you define as victory in this situation?
Kicking the asses of insurgents who terrorize the local population can indeed win hearts and minds.
You do realize, don’t you, that we’re not dealing with a broad civil war? By most accounts, things are peaceful in most of Iraq’s provinces, with large scale fighting in only 3 to 4 of them.
I’ve seen reports from rank-and-file Marines fighting in Fallujah that locals left bedding and food for them, and encouraged them to use their houses while they fought the insurgents.
They certainly want us out, and I can’t blame them for that. That doesn’t mean for a second they want that bunch of thugs to take over. As long as our forces remain the lesser of two evils, I think we’ll be in okay shape.
We didn’t do that (at least primarily) out of generosity. We did it because it was in our best interests to do so. (Cold War and all that.) I am not saying it was not a good thing…It was a very good thing and one of the best and far-sighted foreign policy decisions the U.S. made in the last century. But, I think it is naive to attribute it primarily to generous motives.
Can you let me know when we’re in bad shape? Just so I can keep up.
It is really good to have someone here with such insight into the situation, and such a firm grasp on the opinions of the average Iraqi. The rest of us are not so blessed, we have to rely on the information spoon fed to us by an administration whose record on clear candor is…uninspiring.
But Moto has the facts, the unvarnished truth! I trust no one will be so churlish as to question his sources or cast aspersions on his expertise. “By most accounts…I’ve seen reports…” Solid stuff.
What leads you to conclude that the insurgency lacks broad popular support?
At this time, that’s true. After scarcely 2 years of our fighting for their liberation and stabilization and democratization, the civil war is not yet all that broad. Makes your chest swell with pride, doesn’t it? What happens when we leave and are no longer the highest-priority enemy?
And you’ve doubtless seen many more reports about all the fighting the Marines had to do just to take some sort of control of the piles of rubble. Which reports would one think would give the most-representative picture of the situation?
What leads you to conclude that, to the bulk of any of the various groups there, we are the lesser evil? And how do you feel about being seen as evil at all? Shouldn’t that affect our strategy?