Iraq is a quagmire caused by an ill-advised war that has cost $1 trillion, over 4000 of our troops lives, and thousands of civilian casualties. After this inconceivable investment, the country is still in chaos, and civil war is imminent.
The US must focus on our own battles at home: income inequality, failing infrastructure, crumbling education, health care and immigration reform, and renewable energy sources that will not require foreign intervention to secure. We have failed the veterans created by the last two Iraq wars - we cannot afford a third conflict and we are ill-equipped to come between warring factions of Islam on their home turf. We must stop escalation now before we start bringing home more dead and damaged veterans and destroy our credibility abroad.