Who Would Take America's Place in Iraq?

Jackson Diehl asks a pertinent question in his column today for the Washington Post: "If we retreat from Iraq, will Iran take over?"

"The larger question is," Diehl writes, "whether Iraq will be forced by a full U.S. pullout to become an Iranian satellite, a development that would undo a huge and painful investment of American blood and treasure and deal a potentially devastating blow to the larger U.S. position in the Middle East."

There are many, including the president of the United States, who seem to favor a plan to withdraw American forces as quickly as possible from Iraq. The problem is--the question that few want to ponder--who will fill America's places in Iraq if there is an immediate withdrawal?