A "Two-fer" in Iraq for the Fifth Column

According to the Washington Post, a military intelligence report attributes a big part of our problems in Iraq's Anbar province to the perception that the U.S.A. will pull out of Iraq before the job is done:

True or not, the memo says, "from the Sunni perspective, their greatest fears have been realized: Iran controls Baghdad and Anbaris have been marginalized." Moreover, most Sunnis now believe it would be unwise to count on or help U.S. forces because they are seen as likely to leave the country before imposing stability.

Not only are members of Al Qaeda emboldened by the steady drumbeat in America in favor of retreat, but also the Sunnis in Iraq are choosing to help Al Qaeda rather than rely on us:

The report describes Iraq's Sunni minority as "embroiled in a daily fight for survival," fearful of "pogroms" by the Shiite majority and increasingly dependent on al-Qaeda in Iraq as its only hope against growing Iranian dominance across the capital.

It's hard to win a war when the "fifth column" is so large.