Damn, that sounds awful familiar. Sounds kind of like the role reversal has them a little confused. I hope they can figure out that 2006 Democratic strategic thinking is not the right answer post-2007/08 surge success.

While the violence is far below the worst levels in 2006, 18 major attacks this month have kindled fears that Baathist and jihadist elements could be reconstituting themselves into a smaller, but still deadly, insurgency that will exploit the withdrawal of American troops between now and 2011.

Translation: rejectionism could be a problem for Obama’s de-surge.

The semantic ironies aren’t lost on NYT, by the way. Turns out great minds think alike, though I would have led with it. They buried it:

At times, her analysis almost echoed that of former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. When the sectarian violence was relentless several years ago, Mr. Cheney spoke of the insurgency being in its “last throes” while Mr. Rumsfeld talked of “dead-enders” who kept fighting a lost cause.