PRESSING RESET.. Here's what we appear to have learned from the Surge: First, Maliki's government, which the surge was supposed to strengthen, needs to be replaced. Second, the Iraqi security forces, which the surge was supposed to embolden, need to be replaced This will be the conclusion of an independent commission convened by Congress to examine the Iraqi police. The commission, headed by General James Jones, found that the security services are shot through with corrupt officers and sectarian militia-members, who we've been arming and training to the detriment of Iraq. Problem is, we've already disbanded the army once before. It was a disastrous mistake. It turned 500,000 heavily armed Iraqis out of work, onto the streets, and into the militias. Now we're going to do it with the police? On the other hand, can we really keep trying to train an Iraqi police force that takes our guns and uniforms by day and uses them in death squads by night? As a problem, it's almost the perfect encapsulation of the Iraqi War: You have two options, both of which manage to be worse than the other. Tell me again how the Surge is supposed to fix this. --Ezra Klein
