According to McClatchy, "Military planners have abandoned the idea that standing up Iraqi troops will enable American soldiers to start coming home." That whole bit about training Iraqi security forces? Not going so well. No more "As they stand up, we'll stand down." So what's the new strategy-that-might-maybe-possibly-someday-lead-to-some-sort-of-exit? You have to read to the end to find out:
One State Department official, who also asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject, expressed the same sentiment in blunter terms. "Our strategy now is to basically hold on and wait for the Iraqis to do something," he said.
Yeah, good thing that Democrats have backed away from setting a deadline for withdrawal. It would be a real travesty if this new plan wasn't given enough time to shine.
--Bradford Plumer