Time is Short

One F.U. ago Admiral Fallon told us that time was short.

WASHINGTON: The navy admiral poised to take command of U.S. forces in the Middle East warned Tuesday that "time is short" to change the course in Iraq, but he said that this still might be achieved through a "more realistic" approach combining intense political and economic efforts with military persistence.

Admiral William Fallon also bluntly told the Senate Armed Services Committee, at a confirmation hearing, that "what we've been doing is not working." It was time to "redefine the goals" in Iraq, he said.

As Fallon was somberly laying out the challenges he is expected to inherit, another key administration figure — the man who would head diplomatic efforts to address the sectarian conflicts in Iraq — described the situation there as at a "precarious juncture."