Some good news on the war front

From David Ignatius in the Washington Post. I am furious with the Bush admin. for getting us into this mess, and more furious with the Repubs for backing him in lock step, calling anyone who pointed out what a fiasco it was turning into all kinds of names - 'unpatriotic' being merely the politest of them. But I have never thought we could simply pack up and leave. Having destroyed Iraqi political and military institutions, we are obligated to try to keep the whole society from blowing up. Nor is it in America's interest to turn on a dime and pull out. We are stuck there, so better for it to go well than not. I have little interest in what the political fallout for this would be in the US. Not everything is about us - or US, as the case may be.

So this is good news:

As America looks to 2009 and beyond, it should consider that Iraq and Afghanistan aren't all-or-nothing propositions. The United States is developing unconventional tools for unconventional wars. With this mix of hard and soft power, perhaps there is a way to stabilize these broken societies without the high human and economic cost -- and political backlash -- of a long-term U.S. military occupation.

I just hope this time it is true.