'Muddle along for quite a long time'
The NYT is obviously gearing up for the Sept. 15 report on Iraq. John Burns writes on Gen. Petraeus, while a second companion article looks at Defense Secretary Robert Gates. ... Reading between the lines, I'd say Patraeus is going to call for a sustained push in Iraq with Gates going along with it. But 'sustained' in the sense of through the early half of next year. ... The almost insufferable Victor Davis Hanson talks about fickleness. The same is echoed by Glenn. I get the impression a 'we were steadfast' winning-side argument is being prepared, though the definition of 'winning' keeps shifting. ... Thank goodness the all-is-well/we-want-positive-news crowd didn't have their way last year. Getting rid of Rumsfeld and appointing Patraeus and Gates -- as a result of a long overdue need for change amid pending disaster -- was the ultimate confirmation that the 'we're botching it' crowd was right that all was not well from May 2003 through December 2006. ... Why I like Patraeus: He can say "we're probably going to muddle along for quite a long time" and get away with it. ...  ¶ 7:36 AM