As Newsweek reported last week: "Now the conditions for U.S. withdrawal no longer include a defeated insurgency, Pentagon sources say. The new administration mantra is that the insurgency can be beaten only politically, by the success of Iraq's new government. Indeed, Washington is now less concerned about the insurgents than the unwillingness of Iraq's politicians to make compromises for the sake of national unity. Pentagon planners want to send a spine-stiffening message: the Americans won't be there forever."
I just don't understand why Kristol thinks that Americans must personally shoot the last Baathist and last jihadi for us to count this as a victory. The point is to get the terrorists and I don't care who gets them. Indeed, I count it as a bigger victory that we are able to get others to do it for us. We can't be everywhere. Indeed, I've argued that we need to turn over the fight to Iraqis since the fall of 2003. I am heartened that we are succeeding in this strategy.
Kristol also seems to make the mistake of assuming that if the Iraqis take the lead role that we are somehow out of the picture. This is just a repeat of summer 2004 when some war supporters were convinced that the President was preparing to cut and run prior to the election. Instead, we went on the offensive to drive the enemy back. Now, like then, we will fight to win.
As the Iraqis stand up their forces and as the Iraqi government organizes, we will be right there with them. We will have conventional forces in decreasing numbers fighting the insurgents and terrorists. We will have advisors with Iraqi units. We will have special forces fighting a low-visibility war against the enemy. We will have conventional units to deter foreign conventional threats until the Iraqis are strong enough. We will have civilian law enforcement assets to fight corruption and espionage.
And just think of what people would say if the Iraqis weren't fighting for their own future. Some on the pro-war side need to get a grip and recognize a winning hand when they see one. Having Iraqis fighting is good--not bad. I hope that an Iraqi sergeant drags Zarqawi from a hole one day and slaps the cuffs on him, if he doesn't go down fighting.
We are winning, people. Try not to panic more than once a month.
