Michael Fumento

Two items in two days from the Washington Post. In "Military Cites Drawdown in Parts of Iraq" (Dec. 17), we're told "The U.S. military is scaling back combat forces in regions of Iraq's Sunni Triangle that were once fiercely contested, freeing thousands of troops to shift to other trouble spots or to go home without being replaced, according to senior military officials." It further notes, "Since February, U.S. forces have moved out of 30 of their 110 bases in Iraq, transferring 17 of them to Iraqi security forces." Do you see the word "quaqmire" in there? The article describes a shopkeeper in Baqubah who "used to shut his shop early, but now, under newly repaired streetlights, he keeps it open until the 10 p.m. curfew, tripling his earnings." It concludes by quoting a Baqubah off-duty police officer. "Of course everything is getting better concerning the security. There's a crucial difference between last year and this year."

In "GIs in Iraq Choosing to Re-Up," a day later, the Post noted that, "Since 2001, the Army has surpassed its retention targets by wider margins each year, showing an unexpectedly robust ability to retain soldiers in a time of war." It focused on a GI who re-enlisted the same day he became eligible to receive the Purple Heart after IED shrapnel ripped through his shoulder. He even saw a bright side in being wounded. As a Purple Heart recipient, "I'll get free license plates for life." Um, yeah. But the point is made and it's not Rep. John "Cut and Run" Murtha's claim that "the Army is broken." The terrorists have broken Murtha's will; our military is just fine, thank you.