Outstanding Slate Article on Pullouts

This should be required reading for all the Cindy Sheehan "let's-pull-them-out-now" crowd.

But one thing is clear, and it can be seen time and again in the
examples above: Leaving a chaotic place with no one to hand the keys to can be
very dangerous. In Vietnam, the result was victory for the North; in
Afghanistan, the emergence of the Taliban regime; in Lebanon, the strengthening
of Hezbollah; in Gaza, the domination of Hamas.

And there's something else we shouldn't forget: When a decision to
withdraw is made, there's hardly ever a chance to turn back. The players on the
ground in Iraq are already watching and adjusting to the possibility of a
pullout. Once the wheels are set in motion, there's rarely a chance for "further
discussion."