Did Somebody In Iraq Say "Win?"

From two analysts with the left-leaning Brookings Institute, in the New York Times today:

Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with.

Too bad nobody in Washington cares. Too bad American Democrats would rather beat Bush (who's leaving in 2009 anyway) than defeat Al Qaeda and the Islamists. Too bad Senate Democrats, whose mantra used to be "listen to the generals!" now refuse to do just that.

Too bad for the future of the Middle East and the future of my children that a third way between dictators and Islamist kooks will not be allowed to thrive in the heart of this backward region, and the necessary and inevitable transformation will be set back yet again. How many more terrorist attacks? How many more dead civilians? How much more support for the radicalized Muslim youth of the West?

Who cares, right? All that matters today is "Beat BusHitler! No War For Oil! Cindy Sheehan for Emperor!"

Why stop now for the facts?