To say that the United States has utterly failed Iraqi refugees is a gross understatement. Consider this: After the much shorter 1991 Gulf War, more than 30,000 Iraqis were resettled in the U.S. But between the beginning of the 2003 invasion and the end of January 2008, only 3,775 were granted entry.

Want a little more perspective? Sodertalje, a town in Sweden has taken more Iraqi refugees than the United States and Canada combined. Sweden took in more than 18,000 Iraqis last year alone. Sodertalje Mayor Anders Lago told Congress yesterday, "We did not start the war in Iraq, however we assume a huge responsibility for those that were affected." The chairman's response: "You put us all to shame." Watch a brief video here (Jump to around 0:50 for English).

But Sweden's doors are now closing. Who can blame them? They can only clean up after our mess for so long. It's time for the rest of the world—a Coalition of the Willing, perhaps—to step up and take a little more responsibility.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that nearly 4.5 million Iraqis have been forced out of their homes by the war—the war we started. Most of these aren't insurgents or radicals; they're ordinary Iraqis who just want to raise a family in relative peace.

Megan McArdle says this story makes her ashamed of her country for the first time in her life. She must not have been paying attention to the last seven years if this is her first, but the fact that her shame is directed toward the country rather than the administration is telling. We can only focus blame on the Bush administration for so long. At a certain point, Bush's failings become our failings, and Bush's America just becomes America.