[BBKing]

Bin who?

It's quite likely that if the US withdrew, the jihadists would find themselves in the position of Number One Unwanted Foreigners and would have to retreat or give up breathing privileges (also, who the hell would they fight?). Assuming that the permanent base theory of US occupation is untenable, a US withdrawal having paid someone else to dispose of the local AQ franchise might well be spinnable as 'victory'.

Apropos of nothing, the US is so embedded in Iraq with so much stuff that it would apparently take about ten months to withdraw. During that time, the UK mugs down in Basra are covering the only route out, into Kuwait.

There are also interesting moves towards a moderate Sunni-Shia nationalist group going on, which, since it involves al-Sadr, isn't wholly to the US's liking (preferring to work with Iran-supported ex-terrorists with death squad links, for some reason).

As the saying goes, you can't buy an Iraqi tribe, but you can rent one for a bit.