Victory in Iraq?

From Ed Morrissey over at Captains Quarters - Ledeen: Victory Is At Hand

• The indicators in Iraq point to a victory over terrorists and insurgents in the near future, Michael Ledeen writes in the Wall Street Journal today. Not only have the Americans overpowered al-Qaeda in Iraq throughout the western provinces, the Iraqi Army and central government have established their will in Basra and the south. Iraqi nationalism has risen significantly, and militias of all stripes have either cut deals with Baghdad or have begun melting away:

And more from Uncle Jimbo over at BlackFive - Ledeen & Ackerman agree "Mission Accomplished"

• OK I'm putting words in both their mouths, but let's see if I can stitch this one together.

So, with Ed's post, I'd have to comment that he has a valid point in that if we move away from the Petraeus strategy, a lot of what's been gained in 2007 could be lost rather quickly.

Comments on Uncle Jimbo's post are that I agree with him that we really need to have a victory celebration or, as he puts it, "Well.... equally important now is that we make sure they have to eat a defeat". Another good point is the fact we are staying in Iraq for a long while. I'm pretty sure you all realize that, but in case you didn't, you can probably take that to the bank. The left will be all up in arms I'm sure, but if it bothers them that bad they can put some effort into getting us out of Japan and Germany. We've been there a whole lot longer and if that's a real problem, that's where they need to start.