On the issue of the US involvement in Iraq, here's a very sobering statistic...
There has been a monthly average of 160,000 US and allied troops in the Iraq theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths. That means a death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.
Meanwhile the 'domestic' firearm death rate in Washington DC stands at 80.6 per 100,000 persons for the same period.
That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the US capital than you are in Iraq.
Unless you are Iraqi, of course. In which case the situation is vastly worse.
(Hat tip to Priscilla Abbott)
[A wag asks: "Are you saying the US should withdraw from Washington?"]