The Working File

The war is over.  We won.

Zombietown is all over the call to make today the official day.  Michael Yon, however, has the honors of having made the call:

The Iraq war is over.  Barring the unforeseen, the darkest days are behind, though we are still losing soldiers to low-level fighting with enemies that are true “dead-enders.”  Last month we lost seven Americans in combat in Iraq.  Peace, however, is not upon us.  Another thirty or so Iraqis died today in suicide attacks.  Nobody suffers more at the hands of Islamic terrorists than other Muslims.

If that doesn’t sound celebratory, well, that should show you how serious Michael is.  Nobody knows what is going on — and reporting — in Iraq and Afghanistan better than Michael Yon, and you need to be reading his dispatches.  Still, if Yon’s reporting is somber, some celebration is in order, and Zombietown runs with it:

We won. The Iraq War is over.

I declare November 22, 2008 to be “Victory in Iraq Day.” (Hereafter known as “VI Day.”)

By every measure, The United States and coalition forces have conclusively defeated all enemies in Iraq, pacified the country, deposed the previous regime, successfully helped to establish a new functioning democratic government, and suppressed any lingering insurgencies. The war has come to an end. And we won.

What more indication do you need? An announcement from the outgoing Bush administration? It’s not gonna happen. An announcement from the incoming Obama administration? That’s really not gonna happen. A declaration of victory by the media? Please. Don’t make me laugh. A concession of surrender by what few remaining insurgents remain in hiding? Forget about it.

The moment has come to acknowledge the obvious. To overtly declare a fact that has already been true for quite some time now. Let me repeat:

WE WON THE WAR IN IRAQ

And since there will never be a ticker-tape parade down Fifth Avenue in New York for our troops, it’s up to us, the people, to arrange a virtual ticker-tape parade. An online victory celebration.

Zombietown also addresses the arguments against declaring victory, and explains why they are wrong.

This entry is my meager contribution.  Zombietown has los of links to other bloggers participating.  Among my favorites are The Wide Awake Cafe, and as usual, The Anchoress, who has another round-up of links and a rousing defense of President Bush. Nobody delivers the love and gratitude for that man better than The Anchoress, who also points out in that post that Buch was right about Kyoto, Gitmo, and the Surge.  She also points out some environmental achievements of his administration that you might not know about.

The War Is Over.  We Won.

The good guys won.

Thanks.