What is Victory in Iraq?
by James Glaser
May 16, 2007

Many politicians are talking about our needing a victory in George Bush's war in Iraq. Some are saying we can't have that victory, because we have already lost. Kind of like Bill Clinton's "it depends on what is is" way of talking, we have to wonder what the heck victory in Iraq will look like.

I Googled up that question. "What is victory in Iraq?" Right off the bat I was sent to the White House web page, where they have it all spelled out. It is a three part answer, with Short term, Medium term, and Longer term bench marks that are supposed to tell us if we have won or not. Read and see:

Executive Summary

OUR NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR VICTORY IN IRAQ:
Helping the Iraqi People Defeat the Terrorists and Build an Inclusive Democratic State

• Victory in Iraq is Defined in Stages


• Short term, Iraq is making steady progress in fighting terrorists, meeting political milestones, building democratic institutions, and standing up security forces.


• Medium term, Iraq is in the lead defeating terrorists and providing its own security, with a fully constitutional government in place, and on its way to achieving its economic potential.


• Longer term, Iraq is peaceful, united, stable, and secure, well integrated into the international community, and a full partner in the global war on terrorism.

Right off the bat we find that we have to help the Iraqi people "Defeat the Terrorists" and "Build an inclusive Democratic State."

Of course no Iraqi has had a say in this goal that was decided by the Bush administration, and if you read on down to the "Short term" goals, you will quickly see that we haven't even made it a third of the way to victory. To be able to check off this first section, we need to see that "Iraq is making steady progress in fighting terrorists, meeting political milestones, building democratic institutions, and standing up security forces."

If you read on to the "Medium" and "Longer" term sections, you will see that most of us will not live long enough to really be in on the victory parties for George's war, and at the rate the killing is going on over there, neither will most Iraqis.

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