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I don't see this as a matter of people expecting results in a heartbeat. It's a matter of understanding the mentality of the people upon whom we're attempting to impose a democratic government, a people who have no connection to democracy, a people who have a strong faith in Islam, a people who have a strong suspicion of American motives. I don't think Iraqis, or Muslims and Arabs in general, will accept another U.S.-installed country or system of government in the Middle East. My prediction is that as soon as the U.S. or eventually the U.N. withdraws the bulk of its forces, the vast Shia majority will seize control and overthrow the puppet government. Then there is a potential for an Iran/Iraq theocratic superpower as both countries ally under Islam against their perceived enemy: us. Talk about a plan backfiring.
So it's not that I'm expecting results or feeling impatient. I fully expect this gambit to fail, and I have thought this from day one, thus I have spoken out against this war from day one. I could be wrong about all of this of course because you never know what the future holds, but it's clear to me that the odds are against what we would consider "success" in Iraq. Eventually those people are going to decide on their own government, no matter what we do. I fear that, by going into Iraq, we have only created a new generation of terrorists and squandered whatever sympathy the world community felt for us following 9/11. A lot of people see us as the "bad guys" now.
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