And so Thermopylae has come to this?

If President Bush is like a modern-day Spartan, let us hope that he is more like the virtuous King Leonidas than the pointlessly bellicose and self-centered Spartan gerousia of the Peloponnesian War period. I fear that, by maintaining his good faith with the Iraqi government, President Bush has cast his lot with the moral descendants of Alcibiades, who will exploit the friendship of the United States for as long as they need it and then cast it aside for the next ally of convenience.

"spartan" in this case is more like a metaphor. Think about it, the only thing standing in the way of a total defeatists culture right now, is one guy. History is full of examples of people who stood in the way, the spartans were the just the first.

I'm ready for President Bush to grow a pair and enforce US Code 18, Chapter 115, protect our borders, and continue honoring our worldwide committments.

I'll settle for a 'win' in Baghdad by Christmas...

E.K. - at Thermopylae, Leonidas had the willing support of the Thespians (actually numbering greater than the Spartan forces) to hold the Persians at bay.

Anyone wanna take any bets on whether or not our modern day "Thespians" would even consider standing at the side of our modern-day Leonidas?

JD -- yes, of course. As for your bet, whom would you cast as the modern-day Thespians? We do seem to have no shortage of Athenians, who -- if I remember my history -- argued and vacillated through Thermopylae, only to come through with a last-ditch effort at Salamis.

".. whom would you cast as the modern-day Thespians?"
Well, they certainly don't outnumber American troops, but the Brits and the Aussies surely qualify as staunch allies?

I was glad to be reminded of why I voted for the man.....

As to the "Thespians" reference, I think he was playing off the Hollywood "surrender monkey" bit.

I would have to consider the Iraqi Army and Police, who are dieing in far greater numbers than we, for something that is only distant dream for them so far. I know they have had their problems but we do a disservice to our forces and theirs when we ignore the enormous sacrifices they have made, based only on our word. I pray that we do not abandon them as we did so many who stood beside us in SE Asia. My father told me, with tears welling up, many stories of the bravery and loyalty he saw among the Montagnards he fought beside. He went to his grave with a scar of dishonor in his heart for how we treated them.

TBINSTL -- you do not seem to put much credence in the rumors of large-scale Mahdi Militia infiltration of the Iraqi police. If you have any information that refutes them, please pass them on because news like that of British troops having to storm an IP precinct station to prevent a massacre of detainees bugs the living daylights out of me.

Keith, Australia and the United Kingdom definitely qualify. However, can we include South Koreans in that list? They fought alongside U.S. forces in Vietnam, too, to say nothing of the Korean War, and sent a task force to Iraq. Also, their experience is an interesting parallel to Steven Pressfield's narrative of the Battle of Thermopylae, where he talks of Thespian and Spartan troops exchanging cloaks and shields in one of the later chapters. South Korean troops routinely wear U.S. uniforms when they augment U.S. Army units in Korea.