Would somebody please explain to me what the Iraqi insurgents want, besides getting the U.S. the heck out of Iraq (which is something we want also, presumably)? I suppose this is naive of me, but has anyone sat down with their leader (or one of them even if self-styled) and asked?

The general impression was that the American presence in Iraq would be reduced to a shadow after the elections. True, it's a shadow army running on undermanned units and scantily equipped squads. But the expectation was that the U.S. troops would be advisors only and that Iraqis would run their own country. (Sound familiar?)

If they want us out, and we want us out, maybe we could work out a way to exit gracefully. Or we could become mired in another war we can win only by genocide. What a choice.