Submitted by Bob Mack, Dec 21, 2006 11:47

Mr. Ibrahim:

A global perspective such as that of General Abizaid is appropriate, but can't we chew gum and walk at the same time? The micro perspective of Iraq and what we do next is crucially important. A failure to get the Iraqi army and police forces self-sustaining will be a minor defeat in the global war against Islamic terrorism, but it will be like the Chinese torture of a million cuts--still deadly. By the way, your assertion that China and Russia are sympathetic to America's plight in Iraq is total fantasy. There is much schadenfreud in Mosco and Beijing concerning the U.S. Their only god is the oil god and how can I get him to give me more.

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