Really, General?

David Feith’s ode to Odierno in the Wall Street Journal serves as a bully pulpit for the Army General to sing the praises of the “surge” of 2006, claiming that “in today's Iraq sectarian violence is almost zero.”

Apparently the General failed to read the recent headlines, which show continuing violence throughout the country. According to the latest statistics, there are still an average of 4 deaths from gunfire and 8 deaths from bombings every day – 2798 so far in 2010.

An improvement from the height of the violence in 2006-2007 – but it’s hardly anything to crow about. And when General Odierno says of the continuing violence “Yes, there's still some terrorism but it's not insurgents anymore,” one has to wonder whom he thinks is responsible.

The General goes on to say that:

"In 2004, '05 [and] '06 you had an open insurgency against Iraq as a whole. It was many different groups fighting to really decide what Iraq's future will be. We're beyond that now—I think people know where Iraq is moving."

 Do we? Judging by the inability of Iraq’s elected politicians to form a government in 6 months, it would appear that Iraq is moving toward more violence, and the probable rise of a strong-man from the military – something that Odierno himself admits is a possibility.