We were wrong! Iraq is not having a civil war. What is happening is way too goddamn bad to just be called a civil war.

In their sober assessment, the government's top analysts instead found that the term "civil war" doesn't capture the complex situation in Iraq, which includes attacks on U.S. and coalition forces and struggles even within Iraqi sects, such as Shiite Muslims.

Yet, the estimate said, the term "civil war" accurately reflects key elements of the problems in Iraq. That includes the hardening of sectarian identities, "a sea change in the character of the violence," and the displacement of populations.

The estimate painted a picture of a country hanging in the balance. It warned of grave consequences from events that could trigger even more violence, such as sustained mass killings, the assassination of a religious or political leader or a complete Sunni defection from government.

The possibilities "have the potential to convulse severely Iraq's security environment," the analysts found.

The estimate also warned of ominous consequences if the violence was left unchecked. "Unless efforts to reverse these conditions show measurable progress ... we assess that the overall security situation will continue to deteriorate," the report said.

I do believe that Tango, or maybe Cash, summed it up best in that seminal 1989 hit "Tango & Cash". When they saw that a problem was completely insurmountable they simply referred to it as FUBAR.

If you don't know what that is, look it up!