What the...?

Being literally behind the Time(s), I just read last week's issue. The cover--"Iraq: Is It Too Late To Win The War?"

Huh?

Maybe I missed something, but we won the war. The dictator who ran the joint is now in the dock, and a coalition of Iraqis have written a constitution and held elections. The country's not fully set up yet, but that takes time.

True, there are maniacs and sore losers who would like to return Iraq to its days as a torture chamber, but they are a minority, even within the Sunni population where they mainly come from. They are fighting with loser's tactics--small attacks here and there where they can manage--but they can't do much more than create havoc; it's not the kind of fighting that leads to taking over.

They know how miserably they have lost, and realize what a huge win the war has been for the other side. That's what's driving them crazy. They see the only true chance they have is psychological--tire out the opponent until he doesn't want to fight back any more. It must be tough. But every time they feel defeated, they can see something like Time's cover and figure it's worth going on.