The Plan for Iraq: Never leave

Via Atrios and this morning's WaPo.

First the good news.

Al-Qaeda of Iraq is dead or dying,The U.S. military believes it has dealt devastating and perhaps irreversible blows to al-Qaeda in Iraq in recent months, leading some generals to advocate a declaration of victory over the group, which the Bush administration has long described as the most lethal U.S. adversary in Iraq.

So, we've won and the troops can come home? Nope. Apparently we are planning the next phase of the war which will continue even after the enemy has been defeated,

But as the White House and its military commanders plan the next phase of the war, other officials have cautioned against taking what they see as a premature step that could create strategic and political difficulties for the United States. Such a declaration could fuel criticism that the Iraq conflict has become a civil war in which U.S. combat forces should not be involved. At the same time, the intelligence community, and some in the military itself, worry about underestimating an enemy that has shown great resilience in the past.

Of course AQI will never be defeated and any one who thinks this group will ever leave Iraq voluntarily is about as dumb as they come.