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Neither this leak, nor its bleak assessment, should come as a surprise to anyone. Opponents of the Bush administration have been leaking with impunity whatever they deem necessary -- no matter how highly classified -- in order to bring down this administration. Unfortunately, it's equally apparent that the White House, Pentagon and State Department -- focusing on globe-spanning mini-summits from Asia to NATO to the Middle East -- failed to embrace a simple reality in the Marine intelligence report: The war in Iraq cannot be won by military means alone.

The Marines and soldiers we will join in Al Anbar win every battle. There is no Baathist, Sunni, Shiite, jihadist, or Muslim Brotherhood militia, no terror organization or "insurgent group" that can beat U.S. Army soldiers or U.S. Marines in a gunfight anywhere in Iraq. But our troops have scant support from any other part of the U.S. government. Only our military is on a "war footing."

Up to now, this war has been fought almost exclusively by soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines. U.S. Navy Sea Bees and Army engineers -- not skilled professionals from the U.S. Department of Energy -- are repairing pipelines and hooking up wires to help rebuild Iraq's oil and electrical infrastructure. Marines and soldiers -- not experts from the Department of Education -- are opening schools and stocking them with textbooks. National Guardsmen from America's heartland -- not specialists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- are helping Iraqi farmers find better ways of feeding their countrymen.

Engaging the rest of the U.S. government in winning this war has to become a priority for the Bush administration. And, as President Bush emphasized firsthand in this week's nearly aborted meeting with Prime Minister al-Maliki in Amman, time is not an ally for either government.

The Baghdad government must urgently assert control over renegade militias, initiate political reconciliation and put in place institutions of government that both provide security for the Iraqi people and protect their civil liberties. It's a tall order. But unless they rise to the necessity, a successful end to this war will be problematic.

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Oliver North is the host of "War Stories" on the FOX News Channel.

COPYRIGHT 2005 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.

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