Steyn’s latest:

For the rest of the world, the Iraq war isn’t about Iraq; it’s about America, and American will. I’m told that deep in the bowels of the Pentagon there are strategists wargaming for the big showdown with China circa 2030/2040. Well, it’s steady work, I guess. But, as things stand, by the time China’s powerful enough to challenge the United States it won’t need to. Meanwhile, the guys who are challenging us right now — in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea and elsewhere — are regarded by the American electorate like a reality show we’re bored with. Sorry, we don’t want to stick around to see if we win; we’d rather vote ourselves off the island.

Two weeks ago, you may remember, I reported on a meeting with the president, in which I’d asked him the following: “You say you need to be on the offense all the time and stay on the offense. Isn’t the problem that the American people were solidly behind this when you went in and you toppled the Taliban, when you go in and you topple Saddam. But when it just seems to be a kind of thankless semi-colonial policing defensive operation with no end . . . I mean, where is the offense in this?”

Meanwhile, with Tony Blair and the Baker commission (via leaks in the latter case at least) making noises about negotiating with Iran and Syria over Iraq, President Bush says that the world must isolate Iran unless it gives up its nuclear ambitions. Other ideas from Tony Blair for making everything right in Iraq via indirect means include speeding up the Israeli/Palestinian “peace process.” That sounded a little hollow on a day when Ahmadinejad again made clear that as far as Iran is concerned the only good Israel is a gone Israel.

Things are not too cheery, with only our enemies seeming to be entirely clear on what they want to achieve.

General Abizaid, the head of the U.S. Central Command, went to Baghdad today, apparently to deliver some tough love to Prime Minister al-Maliki, telling him to disarm the Shiite militias and get specific on when his Iraqi military can take control of the security situation. The decision has obviously been made that it is time to force certain issues. It entails risk, but clocks are ticking, not least the American political clock. Having an elected government in Iraq was supposed to take the wind out of the sails of the extremists. It didn’t. That’s the fundamental part of the entire scenario that simply hasn’t worked. So what do you do next? As Steyn calls it, a “thankless semi-colonial policing defensive operation with no end” is not an option. It’s time to make things happen, one way or another.

All is not bleak, however. It turns out there’s no need to fear terrorists; they’re just “mothers and fathers.” This according to Rosie O’Donnell of the ABC TV show “The View,” who, a couple of months ago, seemed quite fearful of “radical Christianity.” So, Jihadi suicide bombers are apparently just filling up some time in between dropping junior off at middle school and doing the laundry. I mean, you have to do something to keep life interesting, right? The “mothers and fathers” excuse doesn’t seem to be applicable to those “radical Christians” (and I thought they bred like rabbits!) but I’m sure Rosie will unveil her fully coherent vision of what we really need to be afraid of one day soon.

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