The State of Iraq

I really have one interest in listening to President Obama's State of the Union. He seems committed to victory in Afghanistan now. And his domestic talk is predictable and outside the realm of this blog, so why focus on that? I want to know if he is committed to cementing the victory in Iraq or is he trying to set down the burden as fast as he can, consequences be damned.

This is not encouraging, if it accurately reflects the SOTU address:

Look to Iraq, where nearly 100,000 of our brave men and women have left with their heads held high; where American combat patrols have ended; violence has come down; and a new government has been formed. This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people, while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of Iraq. America’s commitment has been kept; the Iraq War is coming to an end.

The Iraqis surely need our civilian partnership. But they need our military partnership, too. And I don't have high confidence that the State Department can take on that role.

Maybe this is wrong. Maybe the politics of Iraq means we can't even broach the subject yet. We shall see.

UPDATE: That part was delivered just about word for word. The war is not, in fact, over. Our enemies continue to wage war on the Iraqi government and people who we supported at such a cost the last 8 years. Maybe leaving won't mean our enemies win in the end. But why take that chance when such a small ongoing commitment relative to what we've already made can increase our odds of winning a lasting victory?

We shall see. There is time yet for a new agreement between America and Iraq on security issues.