People who think Bush's war is going badly, should study Truman's war in the winter of 1950/51.

"If your men withdraw one foot from their positions, my tanks will fire on them."--Marine Col. Chesty Puller to Army Captain at Koto-ri, 1950.

Over on baldilocks I said that we'll know that we've won in Iraq when it becomes an accompanied tour.

And even if I do think I'm exceedingly clever, I think I'm right. I really can't see us leaving Iraq completely just as we've still got people stationed in Korea (which *isn't* an accompanied tour for most people... does the Army send wives and kids to Korea?) and Japan and Germany. When orders to Iraq include transportation for the family and a guide for cultural enrichment in Babylon we'll know that we've won.

I hope that we don't end up with a stregthened Iran or Syria. One reason why I don't think it will happen is that there isn't the equivalent of China lurking. Even if we never cross borders into Syria or Iran there isn't any reason not to secure everything right up to them at the same time as the long land borders are going to be impossible to secure completely... unlike the mine fields that make it possible for North Korea to keep its population utterly isolated. Which is *another* way that Syria and Iran don't resemble N.Korea even remotely.