An Army Captain's plan for Anbar

Dave Johnson at Seeing The Forest For the Trees posted this story pulled from ABC News:

Army Captain's Simple Demonstration: How to Win in Iraq
By MARTHA RADDATZ

Dec. 15, 2006 — - President Bush has spent the last few weeks engaged in complex briefings with senior military officers, State Department officials and outside experts as he tries to come up with a new plan to achieve victory in Iraq.

Watch "World News with Charles Gibson" tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET for more on this story.

But a young captain serving in Iraq's violent Al Anbar Province has offered a simple explanation of what the problem was in Iraq and how to solve it. Among his observations is the importance of having a moustache in Iraq.

In a military known for its sleep-inducing, graphically dizzying PowerPoint presentations, the young captain's presentation, which has been unofficially circulating through the ranks, stands out. Using stick figures and simple language, it articulates the same goal as the president's in Iraq.

You can find the entire powerpoint presentation here at ABC News.

The reporter, Martha Raddatz, finishes with this bitter irony.

The creator of this PowerPoint presentation, "How to Win in Al Anbar," was Capt. Travis Patriquin.

But Patriquin will not see victory in Iraq. He was killed by the same improvised explosive device that killed Maj. Megan McClung of the Marine Corps last Wednesday.

Patriquin had fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. A gifted officer, he spoke numerous languages, including Arabic.

"How to Win in Al Anbar" may not make it to the desk of the president, but maybe it should.