One More View Of The Surge
This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.
Surge week in Washington is coming to a close. We've heard from General Petraeus, from Ambassador Crocker and now from President Bush.
The surge was a success - and now we can all relax and watch a little football.
The president told us last night it would be bad if U.S. forces left Iraq. He said extremists of all strains would be emboldened. Al Qaeda would gain new recruits and new sanctuaries. And Iran would benefit from the chaos and be encouraged to gain nuclear weapons, and dominate the region.
Pssst, Mr. President. Over here. Um, I don't quite know how to tell you, but all that bad stuff you say is going to happen if we leave? Well, it already has.
Yep, al Qaeda? Not in Iraq before the war. Yep, they're there now. Iran? Lovin' the chaos. All those Shiites? In their back pocket, most of them anyway.
Just wanted you to know.
Stay the course. Mission accomplished. Hook 'em horns.
Have a nice weekend.
Harry's daily commentary can be heard on many CBS Radio News affiliates across the country.