I think we've essentially failed in Iraq, though I hope some order can be restored. But Joshua, for far-leftist activists like Sirota, it's not about defense of the country or freedom, it's about party and ideology. (I suspect few Democrats are so self-serving.) His political fortunes are tied to losing. A losing economy and a losing war. He hopes for it. Thousands of words will bore you to tears, a couple of  thousand more will lay out conspiracy theories and laughable economic equations, yet another few thousand will attack the messenger, but no amount of his filibustering can hide that truth. When we lose as a nation he wins. Sad.