Already has

By Creature

"Failure in Iraq at this juncture would be a calamity that would haunt our nation, impair our credibility and endanger Americans for decades to come." -- newly sworn in U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates staying on script at a ceremony at the Pentagon. [emphasis mine]

I may not know much, but this I do know: Iraq is already a calamity, that is already haunting our nation, that has already destroyed our credibility and has clearly inspired enough new terrorists to endanger Americans for decades to come.

Failure in Iraq has already occurred, today is about mitigating the damage already done.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)