Let's Not Go Wobbly

With the timetable calling for a further drawdown of troops in Iraq, many politicians see an opportunity to advance their own agendas and force the administration into precipitant action.

Secretary of Defence Robert Gates last week pointed out that General Petraeus had requested that less troops be withdrawn than had been planned in order to maintain the gains made in Iraq by the troop surge.

With Al Queda suffering defeat after defeat, and intelligence showing that the terrorist organisation there is on its last legs, it is not time to go wobbly.

Signs of progress continue to demonstrate that the surge has been a huge success in stabilizing Iraq, with reductions in sectarian violence, a return to normality for many citizens across the county, including those in Baghdad and the formerly uncontrollable "Sunni Triangle".

Former Sunni insurgents, tired of five years of war and seeing the resolve of the U.S. military, are turning against the so-called "foreign" terrorists and actively working to restore order in their neighbourhoods and regions.

Intending to preserve the gains and build upon them, the administration does not want to throw away everything that has been worked for by blindly following a timetable, set months ago.

We believe that General Petraeus, being the commander on the ground, should be supported as fully as possible and we hope that the politicians in Congress agree.