The report from Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker to the Senate today could be a clarifying moment in the debate over Iraq if the right questions are asked. Unfortunately, it appears presidential politics will motivate the Senate’s anti-war candidates to ask only backwards looking questions that will not illuminate what our current options are and that are designed merely to obfuscate the recklessness of their current campaign promises to the American people. Here is what we know going into the hearing: The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq …
The latest reports out of Basra indicate that life appears to be returning to normal even as Iraq’s central government indicates that military operations around the city would continue. The Iraqi army now claims its troops are in control of much of Basra even as security forces are going house-to-house to confiscate weapons. It is still too early to determine if the Iraqi central government accomplished its objectives in Basra, but the events of the last week did demonstrate three things: Iran continues to meddle in Iraq’s internal security. Reports …
