Be careful what you wish for. We are clearly looking to the post-war phase of our presence in Iraq:
The U.S. will ask the Iraqi government for the right to conduct combat operations and detain prisoners and will seek legal protections for American troops in an agreement that defines a long-term relationship between the two countries, a U.S. defense official said.
Remember that except for the most extreme of the Left, the Democrats have mostly described a withdrawal from Iraq in terms of ending combat operations, with allowances for troops to train Iraqis, protect our support troops, and hunt al Qaeda. With Iraq asking the UN to butt out and not extend our operations under UN authority after the next expiration, we will have normal relations with Iraq as any two sovereign nations have. Obviously, the Iraqis know they need our troops. But our presence will change dramatically in a year or two.
In addition, we are looking to emphasize operations in Afghanistan and to expand into Pakistan to fight the broader Taliban Campaign that straddles the border and threatens Pakistan and Afghanistan:
In a shift with profound implications, the Bush administration is attempting to re-energize its terrorism-fighting war efforts in Afghanistan, the original target of a post-Sept. 11 offensive. The U.S. also is refocusing on Pakistan, where a regenerating al-Qaida is posing fresh threats.
There is growing recognition that the United States risks further setbacks, if not deepening conflict or even defeat, in Afghanistan, and that success in that country hinges on stopping Pakistan from descending into disorder.
Privately, some senior U.S. military commanders say Pakistan's tribal areas are at the center of the fight against Islamic extremism; more so than Iraq, or even Afghanistan. These areas border on eastern Afghanistan and provide haven for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters to regroup, rearm and reorganize.
Al Qaeda knows it is beaten in Iraq and since the summer has telegraphed its intention to focus on Pakistan where their Taliban allies have been fighting a two-front war against Pakistan and US/NATO-supported Afghanistan. We must follow them to this front and crush them there in what could be the last jihad.
