More Iraq

The media may have lost interest in the Iraq story (which in turn replaced the less sexy Afghanistan story) in favor of non-stop campaign coverage, but that's not indicative of settled tensions... despite what its bored supporters insist (robbed of a war with Iran, they've moved onto a new enemy... everyone).

Spencer Ackerman takes a look at Iraq, at the beginning of 2008-

"Suicide bombings in Iraq: not actually over. The last two weeks there's been something approaching a bombing every two or three days. And they're not where U.S. forces are spread the thinnest, but where they're in full effect -- Diyala and Baghdad...

...Over the past several months, surgenik euphoria has gotten out of control. War supporters all but declared victory as soon as 2007 ended. "We are now winning the war," writes new NYT columnist Bill Kristol in the current Weekly Standard... What this account neglects (as an understatement) is that every single time U.S. forces have shifted their tactics and pushed the insurgencies back -- the capture of Fallujah, the death of Zarqawi, the capture and the execution of Saddam Hussein, Operation Together Forward I, Operation Together Forward II, etc. -- the insurgency and al-Qaeda have watched, adjusted, adapted, and responded...

....But we've passed the high-water mark of U.S. capabilities: the surge brigades will be gone by the spring-summer, owing to the unyielding reality of military overstretch, and Secretary Gates has spoken of bringing 40,000 troops total home by July. Continuing the current strategy will require doing way more with significantly less. For an example of what happens when troops are asked to do that, read this.

Now combine that with the continued recalcitrance, sectarianism and incompetence of the Maliki government; the creation of over 70,000 Sunni militiamen on the U.S. payroll; the blossoming of Moqtada al-Sadr's Islamic credentials; the coming struggle for Mosul/Kirkuk/disputed Arab-Kurdish territory in the north; and reminisce for the halcyon days of 2007. The last-best-chance is over."

Just a reminder that the mess doesn't go away because some choose to sweep it under the rug. As the primary season rolls on-- and candidates are asked about health-care, energy, jobs, etc-- it'd be nice if they started getting asked about this again.

I'm probably preaching to choir here, I know, but it's just all very frustrating.