Caldwell says Operation Forward Together is failing.

I've been writing about this for a month, but official recognition of the failure of Together Forward is hugely significant. This was the best plan with the forces available.

The two-month-old U.S.-Iraqi bid to crush violence in the Iraqi capital has not met "overall expectations," as attacks in Baghdad rose by 22 percent in the first three weeks of Ramadan, the U.S. military spokesman said Thursday.....

"In Baghdad, Operation Together Forward has made a difference in the focus areas but has not met our overall expectations in sustaining a reduction in the level of violence," Caldwell said at a weekly news briefing.

This announcement, coupled with the acceptance in the last few days of the parallels to Vietnam's Tet, (Tony Snow, George Bush,) means that we may be nearing the escalation point.

The major policy figures in this White House are on record saying that the only reason Vietnam War was lost because of the shift in American support, and that if we'd only "stayed the course," we could've won that war.