In Iraq Until 2018?

You wonder why Iraq is no longer much of an issue in the presidential campaign?

Maybe because the reality is we're going to be there in some form far longer than anyone expected.

Iraq's defense minister said on Monday his country would need foreign military help to defend its borders for another 10 years and would not be able to maintain internal security until 2012.

Abdul Qadir's remarks, in an interview with The New York Times posted on the newspaper's Internet site, could become an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign.

"According to our calculations and our timelines, we think that from the first quarter of 2009 until 2012 we will be able to take full control of the internal affairs of the country," Qadir said.

"In regard to the borders, regarding protection from any external threats, our calculation appears that we are not going to be able to answer to any external threats until 2018 to 2020," he said.

President George W. Bush has said U.S. troops may have to stay in Iraq for years but most presidential candidates, especially Democrats, would like them to withdraw much faster.

That's simply paying lip service to their antiwar constituents. The reality is if they were to pull our forces out quickly and it turned into a mess and an Iranian proxy, that Democrat is almost sure to be a one-termer.