Keith Olbermann on the Surge early in 2007...

I rarely see a journalist talk down to a president or any public figure the way Mr. Olbermann did when the Surge was being announced. I didn't see this commentary the first time he broadcast it early this year, but I was flipping stations last night and he rebroadcast it as part of his end-of-the-year roundup. If I am ever that condescending and that wrong, please tell me bluntly to retire from punditry.

The Surge worked, not so much because the extra troops turned around the situation, but because new leadership from General David Petraeus combined with additional troops and the so-called Sunni awakening turned Iraqi civilians decisively against Al Qaeda. The good from the Surge could evaporate for a variety of reasons in the coming months, but the Surge has bought time for the Iraqi republic to nurture its roots, saved thousands of Iraqi lives, and possibly averted an outright civil war between Al Qaeda and the Shiite militias.

Mr. Olbermann is as bad a blowhard from the left as Bill O'Reilly is from the right. Be careful who you despise; you might be doomed to imitate him.

UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan has a good post on avoiding the "Mission Accomplished" mistake again. The Surge has succeeded in making an untenable situation tenable in the short run and perhaps solvable in the long run.