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.