That's Cool, But We're Now Scapegoating Iran Anyway

From the Washington Post, good words and caution-

The U.S. military believes it has dealt devastating and perhaps irreversible blows to al-Qaeda in Iraq in recent months, leading some generals to advocate a declaration of victory over the group, which the Bush administration has long described as the most lethal U.S. adversary in Iraq.

But as the White House and its military commanders plan the next phase of the war, other officials have cautioned against taking what they see as a premature step that could create strategic and political difficulties for the United States. Such a declaration could fuel criticism that the Iraq conflict has become a civil war in which U.S. combat forces should not be involved...

Civil war? That would just be crazy talk! Well, it's been treated as such for almost two years now. It's not a civil war... it's, umm, sectarian strife! See? Big difference!

And while I am all for getting whatever positive news we can from Iraq, could this 'crippling' of AQ-in-Iraq (with seemingly no actual strategy employed toward them, with the surge instead focused on kicking down insurgents' doors) be another sign that threat was overblown and overhyped by DC politicians looking to distract from the larger picture? I don't wanna say 'yes', but... yes.