How the War in Iraq is going

Brian at Running for the Right provides a link to this New York Post article on the strategic situation in Iraq:

Vice President Dick Cheney's recent claim that the insurgency was in its 'last throes,' however, was clearly an overstatement. But while the outcome in Iraq is far from certain — and even a favorable one won't come overnight — evidence suggests the United States and the new Iraqi government are on the right track to ultimate success. To understand why, it is necessary to grasp the essentials of the current U.S. strategy in Iraq and how it seems to be playing out. The Globe's problem, one shared by most of the American press, is the tendency to see events in Iraq as isolated. They fail to see the overall campaign: a series of coordinated events — movements, battles and supporting operations — designed to achieve strategic or operational objectives within a military theater. No force, conventional or guerrilla, can continue to fight if it is deprived of sanctuary and logistics support. Accordingly, the central goal of the U.S. strategy in Iraq is to destroy the insurgency by depriving it of its base in the Sunni Triangle and its 'ratlines' — the infiltration routes that run from the Syrian border into the heart of Iraq.

Read the whole thing. For those of you who make a habit of reading The Belmont Club none of this is a surprise, as Wretchard has expounded on the tactical and strategic nature of our operations in Iraq frequently. I find is analysis to be extremely accurate, and often a week or two in advance of anyone else. Whether you oppose or support the war in Iraq, if you want to understand what we are doing there militarily, and why, Belmont Club is a must read site.