Start with "we put another hundred thousand troops in Iraq. Then we..."

...will hopefully have enough of a presence on the streets that Joe Iraqi, who maybe dislikes Americans but doesn't particularly want to kill any, will feel secure enough to step forward and denounce the violence perpetrated by the radicals.

As things are, with our people necessarily encamped outside of population centers, what security can we offer an Iraqi who might otherwise be willing to speak out, maybe even act, against the insurgence? From what I hear, our patrols zip through neighborhoods in armored vehicles. While that might be understandable, it's not much of a presence, is it?

It's Woodward, I believe, who tells the story of the night when Powell first learned that Bush intended to invade. Powell asked "Are you sure you want to do this?" Indicating Iraq, he added "We're going to own this place," which was intended apparently not as a claim of bravado, but rather to remind the president that there would be the inevitable post-war period in which the US would be fully responsible for Iraq.

Maybe Bush didn't really comprehend, and maybe I wouldn't have either, what it means to be completely responsible for another nation.

It seems to me what Iraq needs now is credible policing. The Iraqis who do not favor armed insurgence against the American forces have to feel secure enough that they can speak out against the violence. They have to feel secure enough that when they have useful information they can turn it over to police without fearing that they've just killed themselves and their family.

From what I understand, the present Iraqi police force is woefully undertrained and widely disrespected. That leaves us holding the bag for policing the streets. As Colin Powell allegedly tried to tell the president, we're responsible for that entire country. If there's lawlessness, it's happening under our noses and on our watch, and we are responsible.

The real questions are, is another hundred thousand troops anywhere near enough, and can a soldier become an effective cop? I don't think we've got any choice but to find out.