Sink Or Swim Only Works With Swimmers

""How the Americans can infuse into the Iraqi army and police in Baghdad a sense of mission and even-handedness such that the Americans can withdraw from neighborhoods in eight to twelve months without backsliding. "

I don't have the answer to this one, it is a great question, but I know what many will say the answer is. "Just leave and they will be forced to take on the responsibilities themselves. Sink or Swim." I know many are advocating this course of action, but I can tell you from experience, this is not a winning strategy. We tried this in 2005 in Eastern Baghdad, turning over much of the East side to Iraqis who were not ready. Because they were not ready, they did what they had to in order to survive, they cut deals, turned blind eyes and stayed out of the way. They did what they could, but they were not ready to do what they had to do." [ The Golden Hour clock ticks relentlessly. And we have a 5 minute attention span... -ed. ]