This is from Nolan Finley’s blog (the editorial page director for the Detroit News).
It seems to echo what John McCain said in last night’s debate about the current situation in Iraq.
In this entry Finley appears fair & objective – always appreciated.
Will Petraeus be Bush’s Grant?
So many Americans are so heavily invested in the conviction that the war in Iraq is a lost cause that they refuse to allow themselves to celebrate what clearly is substantial progress. Gen. David Petraeus, who was treated so rudely by the left just a few weeks ago, appears to have found the right formula for stabilizing the country.
While violence continues and there’s still a long way to go before U.S. troops can leave, the surge and new policing tactics offer the first real reason to feel optimistic since the war began. This good news doesn’t wipe away nearly five years of mismanagement of the war by the Bush administration, nor does it settle the issue of whether the invasion of Iraq was justified. But it does give hope that there’s a way out of Iraq other than simply abandoning the country.
Maybe the best exit strategy is to win the war. If so, Petraeus won’t be the first general to bail out a war-time president. As late as the summer of 1864, Abraham Lincoln had written off his chances for reelection because the Civil War had become such a quagmire.But then Gen. Grant rode to the rescue, saving not just Lincoln’s presidency, but also winning a war that many had come to think of as unwinnable.What’s happening in Iraq is good news. You don’t have to throw your arms around President Bush to feel good about that. Al Qaeda is on the run, the insurgency is waning and the fractious Iraqis are learning to work together. No matter where you stand on the justness of the war, this is good news.
We’re still a long way from ever really knowing how this will all play out in the end.
Here’s to praying for peaceful resolution with minimal casualties; both for our troops who have already gone far above and way beyond, and for the people of Iraq who have paid such a heavy price already.