Those in Congress who criticize General Petraeus are demonstrating a severe lack of understanding of the military.  One does not rise to the level of a four star general by questioning the policies of those in the ranks above. The good General is well aware of his commander’s obsession regarding Iraq and is not going to provide his critics with any ammunition to refute his fantasies. If Bush wants to believe things in Iraq are getting better who is he to upset the dream?  He is going to tell them what his boss wants to hear otherwise he will be back peeling potatoes for the rest of his career.

            Then too, considering the size and the cost of the effort, some progress militarily would be a normal outcome. After all al Qaeda is not exactly a modern well oiled military machine but rather a rag tag group of Arabs driving around in used pickup trucks shooting AKs into the air and at chickens as they scurry across dusty roads.

            Regardless of what the general has to say, common sense indicates that everyone including all of the Iraqis would be better off if we simply folded our frayed tents and disappeared into the night.

            Then too, rather than spending billions of dollars repairing Iraq’s infrastructure perhaps we could spare a few million to fix our own.