And What Have We Done?
As 2006 ends, December comes in as the deadliest month for the US in Iraq:
The U.S. military announced the deaths of three Marines and two soldiers, making December the year's deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq with the toll reaching 108.
...
Their deaths pushed the toll past the 105 U.S. service members killed in October. At least 2,997 members of the U.S. military have been killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an AP count.

And a soldier asks a question (h/t atrios):
U.S. troops cheered as news of Saddam's execution appeared on television at the mess hall at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in eastern Baghdad. But some soldiers expressed doubt that Saddam's death would be a significant turning point for Iraq.

"First it was weapons of mass destruction. Then when there were none, it was that we had to find Saddam. We did that, but then it was that we had to put him on trial," said Spc. Thomas Sheck, 25, who is on his second tour in Iraq. "So now, what will be the next story they tell us to keep us over here?"

It's a great question. It goes well with some other questions that will get you called all kinds of nasty names by bloodthirsty pundits and their followers. Most of these questions lead back to the big question, the one that makes the chicken-hawk cheerleaders frothy: "Why are we in Iraq?"

Oh, and where's Osama?