The Sunni Arabs began to realize that they had made a huge mistake by not voting in the election of 2005 and by not being part of the new Iraq. They had reasons for this: They were effected by the disestablishment of the military and by de-Baathification (the dismantling of Saddam Hussein's party) in winter 2007-2007. They increasingly recognized that their future lay in being part of the solution rather than a continuing part of the problem.
The president and I sat down in the Oval Office, and he expressed very clearly that what he wants from me is my best professional military advice.
This cannot be the United States being the air force for Shia militias, or a Shia on Sunni Arab fight.
There is no military solution to the challenges of Syria.
