If we stay, Iraqis fight it out with themselves AND us for their own destiny.

There was no Saddam-era Iraq that could be invaded into peace.  It was never a possibility.  Iraq was going to be self-transformation over time or, with circumstances like those we imposed, chaos and mayhem.  We chose to impose chaos.  And it says something that the place is now an infinitely bigger mess and less governable than it was during Saddam's reign.  Hell, we're arming and siding with his old pals now anyway.  Guess we should've left him there to counter Iran, eh?  The ironies abound.  And the bodies pile up like cordwood.

Petraeus, btw, is who most famously said the war cannot be won solely by the military.  The quote was bandied about, Harry Reid got into hot water dancing around with it, but the reality is... we are doing little to nothing in Iraq BUT militarily?  Have we employed Iraqis en masse to reconstruct?  Have we got the power up and running?  Clean water?  And on and on.  We invaded another nation for no legitimate reason.  Think long and hard about that.  And how wrong it was and continues to be.  And now to justify our presence because of the chaos we CHOSE to create?