GO NOWHERE. Thanks to Tom Ricks, we learn that the Pentagon's Iraq review promises more of the same -- an infusion of an unspecified number of forces for an unspecified period of time to fight the insurgents, and an eventual but unspecific shift in emphasis to the training of Iraqi troops and police. This is called "Go Long," but in reality it's "Go Nowhere." This is exactly what we've been doing for at least a year, plus or minus an Army division. As a wise man once said: WTF? Well, for one thing, the Pentagon gave the review primarily to three very highly-regarded colonels, all of whom will be generals in the extremely near future. One of them is H. R. McMaster, the hero of Tall Afar. To be high-minded about it, McMaster & co. believe that even at this late hour, the discrete and short-term successes in places like Tall Afar can be applied across Iraq. To be cynical about it, McMaster & co. don't want to be the ones who recommend that the war end with the U.S. -- and particularly the U.S. Army -- in the loss column. That's not the best thing for your career. For another, this is part and parcel of an interference play run by Bush to marginalize the Baker-Hamilton Commission, which is considering withdrawal. With the new Pentagon study in hand, Bush can claim the best wisdom of the rising stars in the U.S. military, all men with combat experience and some successes under their belts. What's tragic about this -- aside from the fact that, as Fareed Zakariaput it, it's just "willing more American deaths" -- is that McMaster used to know something about the perils of not standing up to civilian maniacs.
--Spencer Ackerman
