Questions about Iraq and Iran

[buckettgirl]

Please don't flame me for this post... I'm merely looking for clarification.
I haven't actively posting in DU for a year or so because I've been too busy with school. However, I do try to keep up with whatever is going on in the world and do listen to Air America and others on my XM radio (yay for that). So, I am now confused to see some of the things I read here.
First of all, regarding Iraq - why on earth does anyone here think it is a good idea to get out NOW or as soon as possible or whatever? I certainly don't agree with going to war in Iraq and I have read much about the lies bush used, etc etc. However, given the current climate in Iraq, I don't think that we could leave without setting ourselves up for hell to pay later. As it is, we have a breeding ground for terrorists - now I don't know if leaving or staying will help that, but it doesn't seem wise to just pack up and go. It just seems that now that we have been in Iraq for so long and done so much damage that we can't go until things get straightened out (or are at least better than they are now). Is this truly a catch 22, damned if we do and damned if we don't kind of thing? Or can we legitimately get out now with minimal consequences?
Then we have Iran... I really do believe that Iran is a true threat the future of the western world. The president over there is a lunatic and we have a delicate situation because of Russia and China. Now, if we would have left Iraq alone, we could have used Saddam as an ally against Iran (since Iraq and Iran have been enemies forever, right?). But now Iran could become a nuclear threat and either attempt to bomb the US and/or sell WMD to terrorists who would bomb the US. It seems that all along, Iran was the real threat - not Iraq. What are the possible solutions with Iran? Would China and Russia automatically become our enemies if we attacked Iran? Is there really a peaceful way to solve the problem, or are we completely screwed now because of the situation in Iraq?

Probably, as you can tell, my knowledge of world affairs is not the greatest; however I am willing to hear anything reasonable about this just so that I can be better informed.