What Iraq war? The one that lasted 3 weeks is over.

We have been in Iraq for four years now, and the casualty rate has gone back up to the highest level since the end of the war itself.

End of the war? Yeah. It ended when the Iraqi army disappeared. That was after about three weeks of combat. We won that war. Sort of. We learned there were no WMD's, and we removed Saddam from power. Those were the reasons we went into Iraq. Remember?

Then we tried to occupy the country. Without a plan, without any effective leadership, and with a totally inadequate and improperly trained military force we tried to occupy Iraq. That has failed. So it is time to leave. Now.

So why shouldn't we leave? Because it would leave chaos behind us? There is no effective government and no effective military or police force. Whenever we leave it will be chaos. Our military will bleed until we make the effective decision and start to leave.

The other reason, the talking point of Dick Cheney, Sen. John Cornyn and many other Republicans is that when we leave we have lost the war. But look at the beginning of my essay. We have already won the war. What do we lose when we leave? The occupation? So what?

We get nothing good from the occupation. It is time to go.

Someone needs to phone Muktada al Sadr and ask him what he'll offer us to leave. Then ask the President, Maliki, the same question. Get the best deal and them get the heck out of Dodge.

Ignore the right-wing war-mongerng rhetoric of the NeoCons and Dick Cheney. We won the Iraq war. We don't need the occupation. we don't need Iraq. It's time to go.

It really is that simple.