I've been to Iraq, spent more than a year there as a contractor, mostly in the Green Zone, and as recently as this June.

Comparing any American city to Baghdad is a sign of stupidity. The only relatively safe place is in the Kurdish regions, there are still kidnappings and car bombs even in Erbil and Sulymaniyah on occasion.

Baghdad and the rest of Iraq is a hell on earth. Every day you hear explosions from car bombs, mortars and rockets. The Iraqis I worked with were in constant fear - many had had close calls with car bombs and mortars, and militia and police. In addition, they say it is very common to find several bodies dumped on your street in the morning.

The death rate by violence is so far ahead of anywhere in the USA. The extremity and randomness of the violence - you have to fear militias, the police and criminals - is driving Iraqis with any means out of the country.

Posted by: Iraq participant at November 14

I beseech you to commit our reserves to the fight in Iraq, as many tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of soldiers that the mission requires, in order to break the will and the bodies of those who fight for chaos and tyranny.