If the neocons ever leave us what will we do when we need a good laugh? A recent foray into the world of fantasy and invention, all presented with what one presumes to be a straight face, is the redoubtable neocon warrior couple Fred and Kimberly Kagan’s piece in The Weekly Standard “The Patton of Counterinsurgency.”

The opening paragraph is precious and must be quoted in full: “Great commanders often come in pairs: Eisenhower and Patton, Grant and Sherman, Napoleon and Davout, Marlborough and Eugene, Caesar and Labienus. Generals David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno can now be added to the list.” While it is reassuring to learn that the two self-styled “military experts” who have never served in the military actually know the names of some famous generals, one might reasonably observe that when the lunacy of Iraq has ended, no one will remember the names Petraeus and Odierno.