It's not a quagmire, but it is a mess:

* Iraqi militias have U.S. led forces pinned down -- and Iraqis in the war zone hate us. ("'We live in fear at night,' said Om Talal, 40, her youngest child at her feet in the southern town of Al-Zubayr. 'Already two of our houses have been destroyed. Why must they fire on our houses and kill civilians?'")

* Iraqi opposition groups are planning a provisional government ("The opposition's apparent defiance of the United States illustrated the poor state of relations between them, despite the opposition's complete dependence on U.S. military might.")

* British soldiers are scavenging Iraqi soldiers' boots because the Brit boots are melting.