William Kristol writes:
Condoleezza Rice’s testimony today could be a major step forward in the Administration’s implementation of an Iraq victory strategy. It’s certainly a major step forward in the presentation of that strategy — as Gary Schmitt points out, the first comprehensive statement of a real counterinsurgency and nation-building plan by the administration. It represents a total (and, I trust, final) repudiation of the Rumsfeld doctrine of “as Iraqis stand up, Americans will stand down.” Instead, Rice outlined a victory strategy rather than an exit strategy, refused to speculate about reduced troop levels, spoke of Americans and Iraqis fighting side-by-side, and pledged a long-term commitment to success. If the administration’s actions now match Rice’s words, and if they can build on the success of the constitutional referendum and some of the military progress of the last few months, this could be an important milestone on the path to success in Iraq.
