Iraq - it's over, WE WON

All the recent election clamor and media worship of our messianic President-elect might have obscured one of the major news stories of 2008 -- the stunning victory of US and Allied forces over the remains of Saddam loyalists and evil Al-Quaeda interlopers in Iraq.  That's right -- VICTORY.

You haven't read much about Iraq because there has been little to read.  Casualties have been extremely low.  Terror attacks are rare.  In fact, the murder rate in Chicago this summer was double the number of US casualties in Iraq.  When the media loathes the US military, and when the Democrats invest all their political capital in losing our military efforts, then that kind of news is incredibly bad news, and it simply isn't reported.

A few weeks ago, intrepid Iraq reporter Michael Yon told Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds:

"There's nothing going on. I'm with the 10th Mountain Division, and about half of the guys I'm with haven't fired their weapons on this tour and they've been here eight months. And the place we're at, South Baghdad, used to be one of the worst places in Iraq. And now there's nothing going on. I've been walking my feet off and haven't seen anything. I've been asking Iraqis, 'do you think the violence will kick up again,' but even the Iraqi journalists are sounding optimistic now and they're usually dour."

Wow.  Just ... wow.

Everything you need to know about the Iraq victory is here, courtesy of Zombietime.

A final prediction -- look for 2009 to be filled with compassionate, humanitarian stories about the US military presence in Iraq; how they are building roads and schools, how they are training civil engineers, how they are providing electricity and clean water, how they are loved by the people, and maybe we shouldn't completely pull out ... just yet.

But remember the time line.  The war is essentially over NOW.  What remains in Iraq is infrastructure building, and a final mop up of Al-Qaeda remnants and Iranian infiltrators.  And not a single Democrat elected in Nov. 2008 has been sworn in.  Democrats -- especially Barack Obama and his worshiping throngs -- simply cannot claim this victory.

However, if you must peg a turning point, pick November 2006.  The Congressional shake-up forced the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld and the installation of a new SecDef, William Gates.  And Gates was responsible for appointing General Petraeus to oversee operations in Iraq.  And General Petraeus made the "surge" happen.  You know, the "surge," predicted by every major partisan Democrat and every Left-wing wag to end in utter failure?  If we must give the Democrats credit for something, give them credit for how shockingly, embarrassingly wrong they have been during the last four years.

So congratulations to all the US and Allied servicemen and civilian contractors who won.  You did it.  God bless you all.

Comments

[Ryan Thompson]

We won in Iraq? Can we bring the troops home, then? :|