Iraq's 9 to 10 year flu

One of the reasons for the continued failure of American policy in Iraq is that the administration constantly refers to the problem in the abstract - as a PR problem or in statistical terms.

So we get the latest nonsense from the commanding General:

"typically - I think historically, counter-insurgency operations have gone at least nine or ten years.” - General Petraeus

But the crisis in Iraq is not like a 7 day flu. Insurgencies don't just run their course and burn out naturally. You need to attack the root causes. His comment illustrates why the administration has always lacked a comprehensive strategy. They don't believe the details matter. They actually think we merely need to stay put for a decade or two and the problem will fix itself.

Via C&L