Smart Move

Kudos to the professionals in the U.S. administration who put safety before pomp in handing over power this morning to the Iraqi Transitional Government. Besides possibly averting more handover-related violence, this move simultaneously shows that America is in the driver's seat but is not trying to hold onto every vestige of power as long as possible. When Bush set the June 30th deadline, many thought it would be difficult to realize. The rapidity, however, with which Iraqis have taken over the government in June enabled today's ceremony to take real meaning.

We've come a long way in the last 50 years towards letting professionals weigh in on tactical decisions like this one. If only the people at the strategic decision-making level in this administration could show this type of intelligent professionalism!