US in Iraq until 2018?

Iraq's defense minister today announced that the country would not be ready to take care of its internal security until 2012 and would not be able to defend its borders until 2018.

On one hand I appreciate the defense minister's honesty. It seems like the past five years of the Iraq war have been one rosy scenario after another. We are continually told that the situation would be remarkably better in just a few months, that “victory” will be at hand if we only stay the course, statements that now seem very far removed from the truth.

On the other hand though, the minister's statement makes you ask what about the billions and billions of dollars spent on Iraq so far? What about the divisions and battalions of Iraqi police and troops the Pentagon keeps telling us have been trained and are ready to support their country?

Iraq will be a main topic in the presidential race this year. We deserve some honesty about what is really happening in Iraq, so we as a nation can decide whether its still worth the commitment.