Timetables and Victory

Last year, when Democrats in Congress tried to lock in a timetable for a troop withdrawal from Iraq, their legislation was based on the notion that we'd already lost an unwinnable war. Now Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki proposes a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal, evidently for exactly the opposite reason: He thinks we've won.

U.S. commanders urge caution on that score. But there's plenty of evidence for optimism and it's no stretch to believe that conditions in Iraq have stabilized to the point that the U.S. can anticipate even steeper troop withdrawals than those announced.

The Iraqi army and security forces have battled Shiite militias and Sunni terrorists with al-Maliki taking personal command of Iraqi fighters. They've scored important victories in several major cities.

Meanwhile, there's been significant political reconciliation and economic progress. Iraq has met—or is making progress toward— many of the political and diplomatic benchmarks set by Congress. Another strong sign of rapprochement: Iraq invited global competition to develop its major oil reserves, with 35 oil companies invited to bid. Our guess is that most will RSVP.

The Iraqi government is increasingly in control of the country's destiny. Its leaders are negotiating an agreement to guide the American presence in Iraq beyond the end of 2008, after the expiration of the UN mandate that formally permits our troops to be there.

These negotiations may yield answers to how many American troops stay in Iraq, how many bases may be built, and how an "overwatch" force of American troops is deployed to fight terrorists and back up the still-developing Iraqi army.