As is being widely reported, today marks the 5th anniversary of the occupation of Iraq. This will be a simple and short entry structured around the good, the bad, and the ugly of our actions.

The Good

• No more Saddam. He’s no longer with us and that is a good thing.
• Iraq has a chance. It’s now up to the people of the country to take control of their country and make it what they will. If only the US will allow that outcome.
• Violence has declined over the past few months. The surge, at least temporarily, has reduced casualties.

The Bad

• No Exit Strategy. There was never a question that the US would win the initial military action, but there has always been a question about how to win the peace. The question persists, unanswered.
• Al Qaeda now in Iraq. Despite what we were told 5 years ago, there was no connection to Al Qaeda and 9/11. Now, there is. That is certainly a bad outcome.
• Substantial Reputation Damage. All of the goodwill, sympathy, and support generated by the 9/11 event has been squandered. The world now sees the US as a bully occupying a country under false pretenses. Where are those WMDs?

The Ugly

• (4,000 + 300) + ??? No one really knows how many Iraqis have been killed because literally, “they don’t count.” But we do know that over 4,300 coalition combatants have offered their full-measure.
• $1,000,000,000,000,000 and 5 years. What a lost opportunity. What it we’d invested our time, attention, and resources to find a solution for energy independence instead of this foreign adventure?
• National Security Weaker Now. Despite the claims that this action has made the average US citizen safer, the opposite is true. Al Qaeda still exists, Bin Laden roams free, Iran and North Korea have entered the nuclear fraternity, and our defense capabilities are stretched very thin.

Like all things the Iraq adventure has a mixture of positive and negative outcomes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how much lipstick is applied to this pig, it’s still a pig. It was a mistake. It’s now a responsibility – given that we’ve occupied the country and toppled its leadership, we now have a responsibility to leave the Iraqis a chance for self-determination. We need to stage an orderly withdraw where Iraq (or Iraq plus the global community) charts its own future and starts to live it.

Meanwhile, back in the US, our margin call has come due. Let’s hope we can pay it.