It turns out that one of the closest advisors of General Petraeus--part of his "larger ring"--is our friend Lt. Col. Douglas Ollivant, who taught the first Tocqueville seminar ever at West Point and has published on political philosophy in distinguished journals such as PERSPECTIVES ON POLITICAL SCIENCE. Doug’s prize-winning article, it appears, had a big and maybe decisive influence in the formation of the general’s innovative and promising strategy. No one can deny that we have men of the highest competence, courage, intelligence, education, and experience guiding our efforts in Iraq now.
THIS IS TRULY ENCOURAGING NEWS. With Doug’s involvement, it may well be time to "short" the insurgency.
It is encouraging. But to my amatuer mind, the description of the strategy sounds like it will involve a higher level of U.S. casualties in the near future. Will the armed forces, and will Washington, be able to take it if articles about a "surge" of caskets begin rolling off the presses? Will Bush and Petreaus be able to convicingly say, "better some more now, with a possibility of victory, than many more later, in ignomious retreat"?
The next few months are key...conservative leaders need to be wary of DC opinion-panics, and those of us who believe in prayer need to say a few more than usual for our troops.
Carl is right. And that it took three years for the reasonable dissident criticisms finally to be effective is troubling. It’s going to take both skill and luck (and prayer) for the last chapter of this war not to be "Too little, too late."