When the Marines have had enough, it's time to get the hell out

The Marines may be tough motherfuckers, but they're like the Yankees: they hate losing. They may die, but they want to do it for a reason. And they see a better shot at stabilizing and keeping the Taliban out of power in Afghanistan than in the cesspool of sectarian rivalries that is Iraq:

The Marine Corps is pressing to remove its forces from Iraq and to send marines instead to Afghanistan, to take over the leading role in combat there, according to senior military and Pentagon officials.

The idea by the Marine Corps commandant would effectively leave the Iraq war in the hands of the Army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall NATO command.

The suggestion was raised in a session last week convened by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and regional war-fighting commanders. While still under review, its supporters, including some in the Army, argue that a realignment could allow the Army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces.

As described by officials who had been briefed on the closed-door discussion, the idea represents the first tangible new thinking to emerge since the White House last month endorsed a plan to begin gradual troop withdrawals from Iraq, but also signals that American forces likely will be in Iraq for years to come.

At the moment, there are no major Marine units among the 26,000 or so American forces in Afghanistan. In Iraq there are about 25,000 marines among the 160,000 American troops there.

It is not clear exactly how many of the marines in Iraq would be moved over. But the plan would require a major reshuffling, and it would make marines the dominant American force in Afghanistan, in a war that has broader public support than the one in Iraq.

You have to love the way this article makes it seem as if the Marines are making a cynical political calculation here. The article paints the suggestion by the Marines' commandant as a pissing contest between branches of the military as to which branch is manlier. But if the Marines are about combat, and Afghanistan is still about defending territory, it makes sense to have the marines there instead of in the occupation/police role in which the American military is mired in Iraq.