>>All the troops should withdraw to just provide a ring of steel around the oil fields and pipelines (cos, let's face it, that's why we were there in the 1st place) to protect our interests them, and leave the natives to knock seven kinds of shi'ite out of each other, if that's what they want.
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>I completely disagree. I think a ring of Kevlar would be better. Lighter and cheaper.

Trouble is kevlar deteriorates in sunlight (lots of that in the desert) and so always has to have a protective cover or paint job. So the insurgents would just have to scratch it and sit back and let the sun destroy it

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>>Let's face it, we're no longer doing any good there and it our very presence may be the catalyst that perpetuates all this violence
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>Don't you support the troops?

Of course I support them - as they're there. I'll also support them when they're not.

>Any questioning of the government on the war, or finance, the healthcare system, taxes during this time just emboldens the terrorists.

Ah, well, you see, the Brit govt. has just introduced yet another "carbon tax" on flights, up to, I think £60 on long-haul. Are they going to invest that money in green infrastructure? Are they buggery! it's just going to fill help fill the general coffers. I wonder if we'd not been in Iraq whether these taxes would have been introduced. SOmethings gotta pay for all these carbon-neutral armamments.