War of The Words

Finally, the 101st Fighting Keyboarders get their tribute. The blogs of war were trying, difficult, at times insufferable. But whenever the nation's resolve appears to loosen, we can count on our brave men and women at their laptops to tell everyone to shut up and savor the victory.

Only there won't be a victory:

A commission formed to assess the Iraq war and recommend a new course has ruled out the prospect of victory for America, according to draft policy options shared with The New York Sun by commission officials.

Currently, the 10-member commission — headed by a secretary of state for President George H.W. Bush, James Baker — is considering two option papers, "Stability First" and "Redeploy and Contain," both of which rule out any prospect of making Iraq a stable democracy in the near term.

More telling, however, is the ruling out of two options last month. One advocated minor fixes to the current war plan but kept intact the long-term vision of democracy in Iraq with regular elections. The second proposed that coalition forces focus their attacks only on Al Qaeda and not the wider insurgency.

Instead, the commission is headed toward presenting President Bush with two clear policy choices that contradict his rhetoric of establishing democracy in Iraq. The more palatable of the two choices for the White House, "Stability First," argues that the military should focus on stabilizing Baghdad while the American Embassy should work toward political accommodation with insurgents. The goal of nurturing a democracy in Iraq is dropped.

The option papers, which sources inside the commission have stressed are still being amended and revised as the panel wraps up its work, give a clearer picture of what Mr. Baker meant in recent interviews when he called for a course adjustment.

They also shed light on what is at stake in the coming 2 1/2 months for the Iraqi government. The "Redeploy and Contain" option calls for the phased withdrawal of American soldiers from Iraq, though the working groups have yet to say when and where those troops will go. The document, read over the telephone to the Sun, says America should "make clear to allies and others that U.S. redeployment does not reduce determination to attack terrorists wherever they are." It also says America's top priority should be minimizing American casualties in Iraq.

I guess this development will be covered in Part 6 of "War of the Words," subtitled "Coming to grips with reality." Then again, I'm an optimist.

While I agree with thereisnospoon that you cannot win or lose an occupation, clearly there are favorable and unfavorable outcomes, no matter what you call them. And the fact remains that the favorable outcomes in Iraq were probably impossible as much as 18 months ago. Of course we're committed to staying for four more years now, and we will until there is new leadership in the White House, because they simply cannot admit that their eternal hope could not wish a favorable result.

But I don't want to take away from the accomplishment of the Fighting Keyboarders. Without them, who knows if history like this would have ever been written?

Iraqi police found 50 bodies dumped across Baghdad on Tuesday, apparent victims of sectarian death squads, and a bombing at a bakery in the capital killed 10 people in the biggest single attack of the day.

The discovery of the bodies, many tortured and all shot, brought to at least 110 the number found in Baghdad in the past two days, an Interior Ministry official said.

UPDATE: I don't know how anything in Iraq can be described as "a good thing," but I disagree with some who say this latest move allowing for federal regions in the country will cause chaos. First of all, chaos would be different how? Second, at least this can be a brudge to ultimately partitioning the country, protecting people from ethnic cleansing (although you'd have mass migration, which you already have anyway), while keeping a tentative toe in the water of eventual reconciliation, which will take decades anyway. It will do nothing in the short term, but in the long term it's probably the right course.