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I expect that if General Petraeus requires more troops, he will not be shy about asking for them in September. In the meantime, we have made significant progress by changing tactics in fighting the insurgency. Specifically, by involving tribal leaders directly in MLF operations and utilizing a growing Iraqi police force, we have been able to deny safe havens to the al-Qaeda operatives and Baathists who act as insurgents.

We continue to work with the Iraqi government to stabilize relations between fractious minorities, at least some of whom are beginning to see the futility of battling each other when they could be participating in the leadership of their own country. It's still a mess - but it is getting better, and pulling the plug at this point would result in a certain disaster. As a means of historical comparison: Germany was a mess in 1949, too.

The problem is that if General Petraeus does need more troops, will he have political support from Congress to do so?

If I'm not mistaken, General Westmoreland asked for more troops in 1968, he was denied.

Granted Iraq and Vietnam are both different wars, but the one thing they had in common is that both wars are unpopular. Even if we are on the verge of winning it all in Iraq, the Democrats may call it quits.

By the way, I believe that the Iraqi Parliament is in recess for the month of August, despite that they still have a lot of issues to work on and we are losing patience in Washington D.C.