The Iraqi Insurgency

The insurgents and al Qaeda are in cahoots, probably with the backing of Syria, Iran, and others. They're trying to do what bin Laden tried and failed to do with 9/11, namely, demoralize the U.S. and force our withdrawal from the Middle East, to open the way for the ascendancy of Muslim fundamentalism. They won't succeed as long as Bush is president, but they're hoping, of course, that U.S. forces will fail to overcome the insurgency (or at least fail to do so quickly or decisively). That would help to ensure the election of Kerry, whom they view as being more likely to cut and run -- a view that Kerry's guru, Ted "Quagmire" Kennedy, has lent considerable credence.

We must, therefore, put down the insurgency and put it down quickly. I think we can and will as long as the worry-warts in Washington don't put too many constraints on the Marines, which seems unlikely. According to a Marine who's in Iraq, the president "has given us the green light to do whatever we needed to do to win this thing so we have that going for us." That's a quotation from an interesting and balanced e-mail posted by Andrew Sullivan.

So, I think the enemy has, once again, underestimated our strength and resolve. The "second Iraq war" -- as some are calling the insurgency -- may in the end prove to be the decisive war. We can win it. I expect that we will win it.