The Point Of The Surge

Dean Barnett explains:

The surge's purpose is to pacify Baghdad and its surrounding areas so the Maliki government can become strong enough to bring a bit of civilization to Iraq.

And yet, Dean doesn't want a Shiite theocracy. Who does he think pulls the strings in the Maliki government? The Brookings Institution? Then this:

What America needs, and what the Iraqis need, is a government that has its heart in the right place but won’t mind ignoring certain "niceties" when necessary. Think of a leader like Andrew Jackson. Or, more likely, someone like Augusto Pinochet, whose ruthlessness has obscured for history the free market reforms he imposed that saved Chile and the democracy he bequeathed to his previously misbegotten country.

So Dean is saying that if Bush is clearer about his hope for an Iraqi Pinochet, more people will come on board? And that backing our torturing thug will help us win the wider war for Muslim hearts and minds? Well, it may be the only coherent option Bush has left. Except there is no Iraqi version of Pinochet. And no Iraqi version of Chile either.