An Iraqi blogger is fed up, too:
“Last chance” has a tone of defeatism, as if Iraq was a totally lost cause. It is anything but. In fact the huge change that’s been happening in the form of replacing a totalitarian regime with a democratic one is a lengthy process that cannot be accomplished through military action alone. Success has economic and social elements along with the military one in addition to international and regional cooperation. There is no wisdom in closing this file or abandoning it based on the results of one security operation.
To do so is to demand the impossible from the coming operations. The total eradication of terrorism and the militias within months is at best a long shot. The violence in Iraq is a result of domestic and regional conflicts that are not limited to Baghdad. In addition it is part of the heavy legacy of mistakes and evil left by the Baath era.
From where I sit in Baghdad I see clearly that those who talk about last chances are in fact rushing failure in Iraq. What they wish to do is to set up a very high bar that is technically impossible jump over within a few months or even a year.
Instead we need to identify what we really want to accomplish and can realistically accomplish through this plan. Total victory over militias and terrorists is a fantasy, and there are several examples of advanced nations that still suffer from persistent armed factions as in Spain or even the UK.
Let’s look at what’s possible. It is possible to stop the deterioration of security, limit the extension of insurgency, and limit the influence of militias. These three things should be the goals of the new campaign.
Exactly. I think we are winning the war in Iraq. To counter that we haven't won isn't to deny we are winning. And arguing that we must win totally in order to be judged winning is ludicrous.
We have defeated or held back numerous threats to success. Sadr and his Iranian patrons are our next major obstacle to winning.
Fight until we win, people. This panic is unworthy of a great nation.
