Oh, It's a Long, Long While From May to December

Most vlogs are as stimulating as watching caulk harden; this BloggingHeads episode with Robert Wright and Eli Lake, a little less so. But it's still a time suck, so Mickey Kaus' summary is the best way to get the info:

a) Lake makes it clear it ain't going to be over by September. "This is going to be a mission that will take several years, if not decades."

b) Our troops must always be on the alert for possible betrayal by the Iraqi Army soldiers they work with--not because the Iraqis are secretly terrorists but because they are susceptible to bribery, threats, or sectarian or religious appeals;

c) Some neighborhoods are vastly improved (Haifa Street) while others deteriorate and will need more attention;

d) opinion among our troops as to whether the war is winnable is "mixed," according to Lake … If we left now, he says, the Iraqi Army couldn't possibly withstand the onslaught of corrupting bribes and threats from the insurgents and terrorists. …

This is a point I should have made below - speculation about a Hagel/Lieberman Iraq plan is risible because it doesn't matter what a couple of blowhard senators "plan." The war won't end this year.