The War That Keeps on Surging

All indications from Washington are that President Bush this week will announce a troop increase as part of his new plan for Iraq. The move, called a "surge" my some commentators, is designed to bring order to Baghdad, which has been the scene of daily shootings and bombings.

The surge is being resisted by anti-war Democrats and some Republicans. Even some supporters of the war have criticized the idea, most notably several generals as well as former Marine and Fox News contributor Oliver North.

In addition, the New York Times today quotes the new American general in charge of operations in Iraq as saying "it might take another 'two or three years' for American and Iraqi forces to gain the upper hand in the war."

The Times continues:

The commander, Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, assumed day-to-day control of war operations last month in the first step of a makeover of the American military hierarchy here. In his first lengthy meeting with reporters, General Odierno, 52, struck a cautious note about American prospects, saying much will depend on whether commanders can show enough progress to stem eroding support in the United States for the war.

We were laboring under the assumption that the President's troop surge would be short-term. But we suspect the general has it right: Under the new Bush plan—as with the original plan—we're in for the long haul: more lives lost, more maimed and wounded soliders, more money poured into the bloody mess the President and his advisers have made in Iraq.