In the debate, McCain promised ‘victory’ in Iraq and praised the surge.
First of all, it isn’t ‘victory’ if Baghdad’s best hospital doesn’t even have working elevators any more.
Second of all, the violence fell in Baghdad because the Sunnis were massacred or chased to Syria, leaving few mixed neighborhoods, not because of ‘take, clear, hold’ (which is in fact a tactic, not a strategy). Satellite pictures show Sunni Baghdad dark now.