Top U.S. officials in Iraq today predicted that Iraqi security forces could be largely self-sufficient within 12 to 18 months and said the Iraqi government is building a timetable for disarming militias, quieting insurgents and solving ongoing struggles for economic and political power.

The administration has finally agreed to a timeline for leaving Iraq. The question is whether this number is actually meaninful in regard to substantive progress or if they are merely providing a number to create the appearance of progress which is, of course, not immutable in the future...

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