Retired Colonel Ken Allard points out an overlooked news conference last Friday by Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who has been the commander of U.S. Forces in Iraq during the last 12 months:

But don't miss the significance of what Chiarelli was telling us after a year of commanding our forces in Iraq -- assuming weary American voters choose to notice at all. His bottom-line assessment: Our troops are fighting the good fight with heroism, innovative tactics and interservice teamwork. Even more startling: This is a fight we can still win, assuming the Pentagon isn't left to fight on its own.

Allard has been a frequent critic of the administration's handling of the war and of Secretary Rumsfeld, and the fact he's "startled" at the idea we can still win in Iraq I take as a good thing. Read the whole column.

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