The "surge" isn't working

Over the past weeks, while the McCain campaign has been browbeating Barack Obama for opposing the "surge" and for being slow to admit that the surge is working, violence has been creeping up to pre-surge levels--as anyone who has been paying attention knows, and as the terrible bombings in Baghdad and Kirkuk today demonstrate. Yet McCain, as well as much of the mainstream media, continues to chant this mantra. Perhaps they are just waiting for someone "authoritative" to be the first to say that the Emperor has no clothes. Unfortunately, Tim Russert is no longer with us--any takers out there?

PS--As I hope readers realize, I am not crediting Russert with any special wisdom or insight; but only when he announced that Clinton's campaign was "over" did everyone finally believe it. Likewise, we need someone to announce that the surge is "over." Why not Obama himself?

Update (August 18): I might have gone out on a limb with this particular post, but since my comments above there have been several bombings each week, including a new one reported just today. The news media is reporting them, but not putting them into a larger context. As I said: The surge is no longer working.

Speaking of Obama: Marc Cooper deals head-on with all the hand-wringing and bloviating over Obama's overseas trip. The guy can't lose for winning! And I would also invite you to read Christopher Hitchens' piece in Slate about Obama, McCain, and the surge; it displays Hitch's typically and increasingly convulated logic on the Iraq war, but if you read to the end you might like the conclusion (unless you're a McCain fan, that is.)

Still more about Obama: From the always sensible Bob Herbert.