WHY WE'RE WINNING NOW IN IRAQ

This is an op-ed from September 28, but I think the point of it is very valid. Frederick W. Kagan correctly points out that most politicians in Washington ignored perhaps the most important point made by General David Petraeus; the defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq requires a combination of conventional forces, special forces and local forces. As Mr. Kagan says

"One thing is clear from the Iraqi experience. It is not enough to persuade a Muslim population to reject al Qaeda's ideology and practice. Someone must also be willing and able to protect that population against the terrorists they had been harboring, something that special forces and long-range missiles alone can't do."