Stop Me Before I Vote Again

My friend Mr Y, late of the Foreign Service, and author of the infamous Kurdistan-to-the-Caspian option during the Clinton years, has this to say about deadlining pullouts:

The counterargument you hear most often: announce a withdrawal date, and "they" will just wait us out. So I wonder, how would that look different from now?

Face the facts, goo-goo America -- this ends in a civil war either way, and the longer we stay around -- with or without the insurgents laying low -- the more vicious the civil war when we finally do pull out.

We're training these future sectarian forces right now -- it's called the national Iraqi army. The better trained and armed by us these still communally segregated units become, the more formidable the future clash between them will be.

So -- out now! Surprise the bastards. All at once, disappear, bug out, scram for the Kuwait border, race away like thieves. Take the Shia and the Sunni by surprise. That's actually what gives 'em the least amount of time to organize to slaughter each other.