1) We don't have a clearly defined victory point.

There really isn't one, much as people would like to believe there should be. What would be the "victory point" in the fight against domestic crime? "A free Iraq" is, like "end the war with minimal losses" a bit vague. I have my own milestones, a primary one being more than one successful election. One election is a good thing, but you know you are out of the woods when you have more than one, especially if an incumbent leaves gracefully. Needless to say, the jury is going to be out on that one for some time.

Another milestone will be a reduction in the level of violence to at least what Israel has to deal with. It would be ludicrous to suppose that all acts of terror in Iraq will end permanently some day. A democratic Iraq sympathetic to the West is going to be placed on the terrorist shitlist along with the U.S. and Israel.

Some perspective on this from the media would be useful. Assuming that the hot points in Iraq represent the entire nation as a whole is like assuming the Watts Riots meant all of Los Angeles was burning. I remember an Iraq blogger who used to post pictures of the vast, quiet, building-covered horizon of Baghdad, while the media was talking about Baghdad being "rocked" by a mortar attack on one building. Have you notice that Baghdad is always "rocked" by incidents of violence?

If you're looking for a magic Day of Victory, don't hold your breath. It took us seven years to turn Japan back over to the Japanese after the war, and there weren't Japanese insurgents shooting at us. Knowing that this is going to be a long haul is what separates the kids from the grownups in politics.

2) We don't have realistic plans for occupation.

Your recommendation on rebuilding Iraqi security forces has been a top priority for some time, and is receiving massive funding. Reworking Iraqi forces into something that will fight for Iraq without becoming a source for further tyranny is not a trivial problem. A lot of people have given us crap for disbanding a lot of Saddam's current army. If we hadn't, maybe we would have a trained force ready by now, but maybe they would be working for the Baathists, too. Already "ringers" in the security forces, like the police chief in Mosul, have been a problem.

I suspect that even when the Iraqis take over most of their own security needs, that U.S. troops and equipment will be based in the area for a long time. This does not mean anything in and of itself--we had troops permanently based in Europe--more than there are now in Iraq--for many years of the Cold War.

3) We have and continue to have an absurd notion about how many troops this will take and for how long.

Recruit Recruit Recruit: Double the pay of the army, offer better benifits.

This is already being done, although they could do more. I have seen re-enlistment bonuses as high as $30,000. This, IMO, is a much better approach than a draft would ever be. I would support more things along these lines. America should pay through the nose to get people to fight in Iraq. The market at work.

Beg borrow or steal troops from our formerly insulted allies, even if it is just logistical support from outside the country. Anything.

Look to the help of Arab neighbors. As much as I hate it.

Give up on this. It ain't happening. Those European and Arab nations that are willing to help already are. Not necessarily with troops, but basing support from nations like Qatar and Kuwait has been invaluable.

The rest are not going to help us. They would not help us if Franklin Roosevelt was making the request. These nations very, very badly want us to fail in Iraq. Most of the United Nations very, very badly wants us to fail in Iraq. Get used to it--it isn't going to change.

And we have most of the military power on the planet anyway. Not much you can do about that. Even though the international community theoretically supports the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. still has three times the number of troops there than all the other nations combined.

Consider a draft. As much as I hate it.

No.

Not necessary, and negates everything the military has become in the past couple of decades. Nobody even remotely associated with the military wants a draft. The only people supporting a draft are leftists who want it only so they can use it as a political weapon like they did during Vietnam.

4) Stop the pretense that are war aims are "fighting global terrorism" and that we are "stabilizing the mideast" or "bringing a new order to the area". As long as we are trying to work in that direction, then were fighting phantoms.

Instead, clearly articulate that our war aims are now "A stable Iraq" followed by an "Exit of american forces from the country'.

But that's not what Bush is trying for. "Bringing a new order to the area" is exactly what this is about, and always has been. This is what makes Bush controversial.

This is the hope that keeps Iraqis supporting us to whatever level they are. They were abandoned once, and haven't forgotten that. "A stable Iraq" is a cop-out, and everyone knows it. In any case, if a nation is going to be truly stable, it needs to be free. Totalitarian nations breed aggression, hostility, and most of the world's terrorists.

5) Recognize that the insugency is a home-grown phenomenon with foreign elements, not the other way around. Every time we crack a town or an area open only to fint 90% local folks and 10% foreigners, its sort of stupid to say "Well the foreigners snuck out the night before". Its Yeti reasoning again. The WMD are not there because they destroyed/hid/moved them.

Don't go by a head count of insurgents. Go by who's funding them, who's sending in the weapons, where the support is coming from, and who's calling the shots. There were about twice as many South Vietnamese troops in the Vietnam War as there were American troops. Who was running that show?

A huge amount of the Baathist insurgency is supported out of Syria, along a pipeline running straight west between Baghdad and the border. Shiite rebels (currently laying low) are supported heavily from Iran.

6) For god sakes, get out as soon as possible so we can at least credibly threaten Iraq and N. Korea if they decide to go 1938 on us.

Most of our heavy military force--you know, the "major combat" stuff--is sitting quietly on runways, storage facilities, and in harbors. Stockpiles of cruise missiles and other weapons are being quietly replenished while sailors and pilots cool their heels at home.

Our enemies in Iran, North Korea, and elsewhere, should not overlook this.