The real man of the year

Petraeus pulled it off. The war is not over, of course. Too quick and deep a drawdown -- which some in the Pentagon and elsewhere in the Bush administration are, appallingly, pushing for -- could throw away the amazing success that has been achieved. Still: It is as clear as anything can be in this world, where we judge through a glass darkly, that General David H. Petraeus is, in fact, America's man of the year.

From Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol here.

The general could not pull it off without our Troops going in to win the Iraqis hearts. Our soldiers are winning the war. Our Congressional leaders should be assumed. They need to apologize to the troops and congratulate their winning effort.

The counterinsurgency campaign of 2007 was probably the most precise, discriminate, and humane military operation ever undertaken on such a scale. Our soldiers and Marines worked hard--and took risks and even casualties--to ensure, as much as possible, that they hurt only enemies. Compared with any previous military operations of this size, they were astonishingly successful. The measure of their success lies in the fact that so many Iraqis now see American troops as friends and protectors. Petraeus and his generals have shown that Americans can fight insurgencies and win--and still be Americans. For that and so much else, he is the man of the year.