A Friedman, A Bayh, & A Boot

Quiz:

Just how long is it before we'll know if the escalation surge is working?

(a) A Friedman, i.e., six months?

(b) A Bayh, i.e., two months?

(c) A Rice, i.e., two to three months?

(d) None of the above.

If you chose (d) -- None of the above -- you win. Because as of today there's a new new measure for how much longer we'll need to remain in Iraq before we 'll really, really, really, really know if the surge is working. This one's called a Boot, and it's "at least a year."

It's still possible to stave off catastrophic defeat in Iraq. But the only way to do it is to give Gen. Petraeus and his troops more time--at least another year--to try to change the dynamics on the ground. The surge strategy may be a long shot but every alternative is even worse.

To those of you on the ground in Iraq, that's what's known as a "Boot in the Ass."