Meanwhile the so-called "insurgents," not to mention their abettors in Iran and Syria, are watching the debate in the United States with what must surely be considerable satisfaction. They have never imagined they could defeat this country in a conventional war. But they learned from Vietnam, along with the rest of the world, that the American people have no stomach for long military operations against guerillas who can avoid extinction and impose fatalities -- few, perhaps, but persistent and seemingly endless -- on American troops. Sooner or later, they are gambling, our will and patience will give out, and our healthy democratic processes will force the government to abandon Iraq and probably the rest of the Middle East.
Whether they would be satisfied with that achievement, or simply conclude that it points the way to the ultimate Islamic conquest of the West, remains to be seen.
William Rusher
William Rusher is a Distinguished Fellow of the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy and author of How to Win Arguments .
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