Agreed.
My point was that this operation started as a military solution and has now been shifted to a political solution. Every time that occurs it weakens military resolve and the willingness for the feet on the ground to make a sacrifice.
We have indeed reduced both the material and personnel strength of our opponents but we have not, by simple logic, gotten to the leadership within their ranks. My fear, based on published reports which are at best honestly inaccurate, is that the insertion of indigenous personnel will allow, or worse yet enable, this leadership to slip away to organize and kill our troops and civilian support personnel some other day.
I have absolute confidence that Bush has no intention of leaving Iraq before the job is done but I fear that the political pressure created by the US national election cycle will help shape our tactical policies in Iraq until November.
I'm also sure that to force the average foot solder to work with an individual who only months ago was dedicated to their personal destruction is only being accepted because of the ingrained respect for the chain of command in an all voluntary military.