The Pub Discussion Board

As I said in the other post, it is perfectly winnable, if people are willing to take the time to win it.  Governmental change does not happen overnight.  And in government terms, "overnight" means "less than several years".  We are asking Iraq to do exactly what we did 230 years ago:  change from rule by a despot to democracy.  It took us 11 years just to get the "rules" right, and we did not have terrorists running around trying to kill our leaders.  We also didn't have hostile nation-states surrounding us with enough firepower to destroy us at the drop of a hat.

Iraq looks likely to hold regional elections before October.  That's a major political milestone.  Insurgency and violence are on the decline, thanks to the surge and the fact that more Iraqi troops are better trained now.  It looks as though the Shi'a will actually begin to participate in the government.  In general, everything is moving in a positive direction.  Yes, it is happening slowly.  This was to be expected, since there are people involved, and letting go of a cherished idea is somewhat more difficult than, oh, say, growing a third arm. 

The only way to LOSE the war, really, is to pull out of the country before Iraq is ready to protect itself.  That's what we're waiting for, and I don't think that a lot of the detractors understand that.  We are waiting for Iraq to have sufficient military might and skill to defend itself from all enemies, within and without.  Once that happens, our major presence there would be superfluous.  But don't expect that to happen before, oh, say, November.

After that happens, though, as Senator McCain has pointed out, it would be beneficial to US interests to sign an agreement with Iraq much like the one we have with South Korea.  If for no other reason than to continue to be a thorn in Iran's side.

Eric