Is Al-Qaeda Smashed?

Just when it seems that there's no way that we can win the Iraq War -- a former general says we can't win, the Marine commandant wants to pull out (see videos below) and major Middle Eastern ally recalls its ambassador in protest and might cut off US supply lines because of a congressional vote -- comes news that the United States might have smashed Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Reports the Washington Post this morning:

The U.S. military believes it has dealt devastating and perhaps irreversible blows to al-Qaeda in Iraq in recent months, leading some generals to advocate a declaration of victory over the group, which the Bush administration has long described as the most lethal U.S. adversary in Iraq. ...

There is widespread agreement that AQI has suffered major blows over the past three months. Among the indicators cited is a sharp drop in suicide bombings, the group's signature attack, from more than 60 in January to around 30 a month since July. Captures and interrogations of AQI leaders over the summer had what a senior military intelligence official called a "cascade effect," leading to other killings and captures. The flow of foreign fighters through Syria into Iraq has also diminished, although officials are unsure of the reason and are concerned that the broader al-Qaeda network may be diverting new recruits to Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Could it be that we've won the war, while losing the war?

Retired general Richardo Sanchez says the Iraq War is a "nightmare with no end in sight":

Marines' commandant wants to pull out of Iraq: