Michael Vlaho: Kaplan's Eagles

There are two famous clichés about foreign wars and domestic politics.

The first of course is emblazoned by Vietnam, where the war that goes wrong over there comes back home to task our very souls. Perhaps it leads to a constitutional crisis narrowly averted, like Watergate. Perhaps, like the Mexican War did for our Civil War, it helps make gathering crisis inevitable.

On the other hand, there is the "Good War." The Good War, like World War II, turns young soldiers into future leaders, ensuring wise political stewardship to come.

Robert Kaplan believes, clearly, in the latter cliché. In his Los Angeles Times' commentary, "The Future of America -- in Iraq," he spells it out right up front: America's political future lies in the steady, capable hands of junior officers fighting today in Iraq.