But as we move from this period of what many Iraqis regard as perceived occupation, we need to move towards one of partnership.

Morale is good; troops are confident; leaders are capable.

You know as well as I do that counterinsurgency is a very nuanced type of military operation.

But my Arabic is pretty good. It's good enough to have conversations with people, to understand what they say, to understand what they're feeling.

And so I think that if the person has the funds, the network, and the equipment to do this, and also the experience, which is the key factor, then they can be quite deadly.

But the truth of the matter is that there is there is an opportunity for them to participate in the economic and political future of the country and certainly in the security life of the country.

But clearly the fact that we've gone from zero Iraqi security forces on duty in May to up to 200,000 today is an enormous accomplishment, but it's not enough.