On this Levin/Reid plan, it’s this simple: When the Congress authorized the president to use force, to go to war, they authorized the president and country to not only go to war but to win the war. We cannot win the war if a) our enemy is saying our withdrawal is their goal and b) the opposition party here at home seeks our withdrawal; pushes for withdrawal; wants withdrawal, and ultimately gets withdrawal. I can’t put it more simply than that. Al Qaeda wants us out of Iraq. Iran wants us out of Iraq. The shiite militias want us out of Iraq….and the Democratic party wants us out of Iraq. So where is the victory in following any of that advice? By the way, where’s the honor in that? In the meantime, our reinforcement plan is just now about to take effect: find me one general who thinks it a good idea to cease and desist operations, to fold tent and go home, right before you’re about to make your final push?

And if this final push works, if Bush and McCain and Lieberman and Petraeus are right, then we will have rescued our victory, we will have done a great, big thing in this war. And we need a great big thing–to teach the enemy a lesson, and to pacify one of the largest Arab states in a part of the world that need pacification.

Do you know what we call this? A good thing. No, a great thing! Not something to be embarrassed by or about. Or quit!