Is The Surge Working?

It's time we stopped and asked the question...

Micheal Kinsey writes in his Washington Post opinion column: "The test is simple, and built into the concept of a surge: Has it allowed us to reduce troop levels to below where they were when it started?

And the answer is no.

"In fact, President Bush laid down the standard of success when he announced the surge more than a year ago: 'If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home.'

At the time, there were about 130,000 American soldiers in Iraq. . .

"Today, there are still more than 150,000 American troops in Iraq. The official plan has been to get that number back down to 130,000 by July, and then to keep on going so that there would be about 100,000 American troops in Iraq by the time Bush leaves office.

"Just lately, though, General Petraeus has come up with another zen-like idea: he calls it a 'pause.'

And the administration has signed on, meaning that the total number of American troops in Iraq will remain at 130,000 for an undetermined period."

Let's just be honest...