Return on Success

That's the most important phrase I took from the President's speech tonight. In line with Nixon's "Peace with Honor", Return on Success will benchmark the withdrawal of US forces in Iraq. Don't expect them to be returning in large numbers at least for a year. A year from today, we will still have 130,000+ troops in Iraq fighting what I hope will be a war of attrition against an enemy on the run and out of ammo. The President has a vision of a long term presence in Iraq, similar to Korea or western Europe following those conflicts. I agree with the concept of a long term troop presence in Iraq - the world is a safer place with two US Army Tank Divisions sitting in between people who have been fighting each other since 700 AD. The President dared the Congress to "unfund" the troops, and if that happens, then the blood of the soldiers who are ill equipped falls clearly on them, which in effect is the democrats.

The strategy outlined 8 months ago appears to be working. Taking another 6 months in the grand scheme of things is the wise course of action for the US to take at this time. The only thing that needs to change is the whole country needs to be in this war, and not just the military.