David in Iraq

I first read about Lt.Gen. David Petraeus a couple of years ago when the Times published a series of articles about his successes in dealing with the Iraqis in his area of operations while he was with the 101st. Now he is in charge of the whole shootin' match in Iraq. He seems to be one of the first guys in charge who is willing to talk truth about the situation there. Iraq will be a big disappointment for the smash and burn crowd because this mess will be solved only through a combination of diplomatic, political and military action. U.S. Commander in Iraq Sees Long Commitment

They say General Petraeus is one of the smartest guys in the army, and he has a Ph.D from Princeton. Wiki-Petraeus

Following his initial tour in Iraq, Petraeus was put into a position to turn "lessons learned" into something far more useful. Petraeus is said to be the father of the Army's new field manual(FM 3-34) on dealing with counterinsurgencies. I've already downloaded the available version and I expect I'll take a look at it this weekend. But it seems that this adminsitration might have done something right for a change by putting someone in charge who has an idea on how to get the job done. But as my wife says, "There is a world of difference between 'late' and 'too late.' " Is Petraeus "too late"?

The U.S. politics can play out in an interesting way. If, by election time,the public perceives that the situation in Iraq has "stabilized", a Republican candidate then becomes more viable. "Stabilized" means that things are quiet, irrespective of whether that quiet comes about through Petraeus's efforts, or because the bad guys think we are soon leaving town anyhow and when we do, it's party time.

If Petraeus is "successful", will the Democrats be perceived as pacifist cut-and-runners? Since the candidacy of George McGovern they have been perceived as being weak on defense issues and there is no sign that they can change public opinion on that issue in the near term.

The Democrats are trying to get around the defense wimp label with a resolution calling for increased money and medical care for the troops, and greater troop strength in Afghanistan, while at the same time calling for a date certain for withdrawal from Iraq. It's a delicate game they are playing.
Democrats Propose Iraq Pullout in 2008

On the other hand, if Petraeus is not " successful", the public may overcome its reluctance to once again give the government into the hands of one political party, so you can look for the Democrats to control the presidency and to increase their control over both houses of Congress.