Time To Break Out The Ticker Tape?

Great news: the Coalition Forces in Iraq are on pace to report the lowest monthly casualties since the Iraq War began. This is testament to the success of the surge, and the political and military progress made by the Maliki government. Is this an 'acceptable' level of casualties? There is no such thing. It is unacceptable that the enemy continues to have the ability to inflict injury and death, and we have to work smarter to make sure the bloodshed ends. However, the war, as such is over.

Last December, I said "let's see if the trend actually holds. Six more months of this (just one more Friedman Unit), and I am convinced that the war is over in all but name." Well, that Friedman Unit has come and gone, Basra has been pacified, Mookie al-Sadr is cowering, and tremendous political progress and reconciliation in Iraq has been achieved. Things have gone so well that not even Nancy Pelosi can suspend disbelief any longer.

The Iraq War is over, and we have won a crushing victory. There will continue to be casualties, but the conflict is no longer a 'war' but a terror campaign. To call it a 'war' implies that our enemies are 'warriors', an appellation they do not deserve.