Max Boot on Falluja

This editorial by Max Boot, found via Matt Bruce, sets out some reasons why Falluja was a military victory without really addressing the criticisms of those who are pessimistic about its overall importance. For one thing, he claims the Allawi government held together, oblivious to the withdraw of the Sunnis in protest and subsequent calls for an election boycott. He also seems to think the Mosul issue is settled despite hard news to the contrary. Sure, it felt good to drive people like Zarqawi out of their lairs, but its far from clear we did anything but temporarily inconvenience them. Boot also fails to note that the Iraqis involved in the operation were Kurds. As usual, he makes some good points about how everything takes time, but there's really nothing in his interpretation of the Falluja fighting to back that up.