Charles Krauthammer cheerfully declares "Of Course It’s a Civil War" in his latest op-ed for The Washington Post. Now here’s a true red meat conservative. He not only faces reality head-on, but he embraces it and relishes it. He wants blood. Lots and lots of blood. As long as it is Iraqi blood:

Now all of a sudden everyone is shocked to find Iraqis going after Iraqis. But is it not our entire counterinsurgency strategy to get Iraqis who believe in the new Iraq to fight Iraqis who want to restore Baathism or impose Taliban-like rule? Does not everyone who wishes us well support the strategy of standing up the Iraqis so we can stand down? And does that not mean getting the Iraqis to fight the civil war themselves?

Hence the gradual transfer of war-making responsibility. Hence the decline of American casualties. Hence the rise of Iraqi casualties.

He looks on the bright side. Civil wars do not last forever. In the meantime, it is a great spectacle to watch. Besides, if you kill enough Sunnis, they will come to the peace table:

Civil wars are not eternal. This war will end not with an Appomattox instrument of surrender. It will end when a critical mass of Sunnis stops supporting the insurgency and throws its lot in with the new Iraq.

How does this happen? The stick is military — the increased cost in Sunni blood of continuing the fight. But the carrot is political — a place at the table for those Sunnis, some of whom are represented in parliament, who are prepared to abandon the insurgency for a share of power, a share of oil income, and a sense of security and dignity in the new Iraq.

The good news here is that if we get the Iraqi Shiites to slaughter the Iraqi Sunni into submission, it will be cheaper for us in the long run. It will certainly not be as expensive as a Vietnam-style "bomb you into submission" plan. Smart bombs are much more expensive than Iraqi lives.

We should all cheer this op-ed by Krauthammer. Consider it a stalking-horse from our war making friends. Finally, we have a clearly defined exit strategy that the public can get behind. No more code like "As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down". Charles tells us the unvarnished truth - "As the Iraqis are strung up, we will stand down". For your honesty, thank you, Charles Krauthammer.