Winnable?

A report from two analysts outlines results that are a little surprising. They see strong, tangible evidence that significant progress is being made towards securing a peaceful Iraq - or at least reducing the violence enough for normal life to resume. This report joins a growing body of evidence that the Iraq war might, just might, actually not be total disaster. And the surge might be working. I'm not sure if it's "winnable", since I think we might have already left that one behind, but if we can leave Iraq retreating from a position of strength and having laid a legitimate path towards peace for the Iraqis to follow, then that is certainly not the abject failure that some Democrats are crowing about on the Hill.

While I certainly don't fully agree with the views of the authors on other topics (particularly Mr. Pollack), this view on the surge has been reported enough that it deserves some consideration. General Petraeus, whatever his personal views may be, seems to have a realistic grasp on how to handle a counter-insurgency operation, and the managerial skills to carry it out. Of course, the obstacles remain enormous, and it's far too early to predict the outcome. I certainly hope it works out well....although I would hate to have this emerge as a victory for Bush. In my view, if we have successes in Iraq, they will arrive despite his leadership, not because of it.

Another Novak Leak

Apparently, Novak is in good with some key players on the Hill. Today he reports another covert operation, military in nature, that involves sending US Special Forces to aid Turkey's fight against the Kurds by attacking and killing Kurdish leaders inside northern Iraq. More on this tonight when I get home.

A Different Type of Kidnapping in Iraq

The House Oversight Committee today conducted hearings on allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse at the new U.S. Embassy in Iraq. This is scary stuff -- read the written testimonies submitted to the Committee at the bottom of this website. I was particularly disturbed by the testimony of Rory Mayberry.

Iraq is a fiasco from top to bottom, and the worst part of it is that there are so many fiascos going on that stuff like this, even though it should normally be a large scandal in its own right, gets overlooked. This is really sad.

As you can tell, my internship for the courts is almost over. Posting of a political nature will resume at the normal pace.