Get ye to the Castle

The Armorer introduces the latest Gen(r) McCaffrey AAR thusly:

For those of you on the cruise who were a little taken aback by Bing West's assertion during one of the panels that "The war in Iraq is over, we won!" (as I was, I admit), well, Bing may have read this document already.

While at the castle, check out this Q & A with Admiral Mullen on the Iraq SOFA, Gitmo, and the role of the CJCS, too. I'm not sure how much of all that the press really understands; from the nature of the questions and some of the subsequent reports I've seen it's somewhere between little and none. But that's not due to any lack of effort or clarity on the part of the Chairman, there's just a massive disconnect between how reporters feel about certain subjects and what he knows. (A similar disconnect could develop between a certain future president and some of his most erstwhile supporters. That might be something to see.)

I first mentioned last summer that folks should be ready for the upcoming Iraq withdrawal "timelines". With the war being over and won they were inevitable, as is the fact that regardless of what the SOFA says they will be conditions based, which means a denial of a "win" for both sides of the political war - which means they can keep on fighting to their heart's content long after the troops come home.

Whoops - I meant long after the troops go to Afghanistan. There's a distinct difference.

Two links above, go.