Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Did the surge work?

Yes — it allowed the U.S. to withdraw from  the continuing civil war in Iraq. Is that what you meant by the question? Seems to be what most Americans who think about the war think. Meanwhile, Joel Wing peers into the murky issue of who in the Iraqi government let those al Qaeda guys escape ...

MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty Images
MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty Images
MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty Images

Yes -- it allowed the U.S. to withdraw from  the continuing civil war in Iraq. Is that what you meant by the question? Seems to be what most Americans who think about the war think.

Yes — it allowed the U.S. to withdraw from  the continuing civil war in Iraq. Is that what you meant by the question? Seems to be what most Americans who think about the war think.

Meanwhile, Joel Wing peers into the murky issue of who in the Iraqi government let those al Qaeda guys escape from jail in Basra. Certainly not one of our allies!

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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