In politics, you win debates for those with short attention spans by framing the question that leads to your favorite answer. The question now being framed is, could the U.S. military overwhelm the Iraqi resistance? Without question, anti-war skeptics like yours truly noted snags in the campaign as they came to light. But nobody said the U.S. couldn’t prevail militarily. (I said that it seemed incredible, but maybe it could not.) Today the cakewalkers are crowing, but a week ago they were all denying they ever said the war would be easy.
In fact the war isn’t over. It may not be over in two months either, just as it isn’t over in Afghanistan. If winning the war means fulfilling the war objectives, rather than merely exterminating Saddam’s ruling clique, then victory may be some time coming. The cheering Iraqi crowds on the streets, such as they are, have little bearing on the burdens to come.
BY TOM TOMORROW