An Overview of the Iraq War

Via TPM, the testimony of Lieutenant General William E. Odom, U.S. Army (ret.) before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 18.

Odom begins by outlining the initial goals for success in Iraq as stated by the Administration (elimination of WMD, overthrow of Saddam, and creation of a Western-style democracy in Iraq, to be exported throughout the region). He then discusses the high-level political and military strategies that would best accomplish those goals, and finally compares them to the actions that have actually been taken.

It's very clearly written and argued, and as TPM points out, it serves to put in proper perspective the current daily controversies over how precisely to proceed, with how many or how few troops, and to what degree disagreement with the President constitutes aid and comfort to the enemy. It's well worth reading in full.