A desurging surge

I suppose it's fitting that, as the surge is desurging, and as the insurgents are resurging, and as the gains are being lost, and the shrinking death tolls are growing and so on and so on, that today's Petraeus/Crocker testimony would be ripe with the sorts of equivocal pronouncements about progress in Iraq (both tactical and strategic) that a). wink at the idea that the war should continue indefinitely, but b). don't actually constitute an argument for anything.

So we hear a lot about "uneven gains", "steady, but incomplete" progress, etc. Things are solid, yet fragile. Robust, but also frail. Pacified, though still agitated. Encouraging, but needing yet more encouragement. It's a topsy-turvy world out there!

Update: He seemed to struggle badly, rambling a bit about nebulous "elements" or "factions" in "Iraq" but at least John McCain got the connection between Iran and Shiism correct. Of course, he did so as part of a prelude to future questions, which will no doubt mischaracterize of the threat Iran poses to the region and beyond--and, surely, the need to bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb them. But baby steps.

Update 2: Via Spencer, via Faiz, McCain might have the Iran/Shiite connection committed to memory, but he's still a bit confused about Al Qaeda.