By Rumsfeld's Standards, Mission Accomplished

P resident Bush 's comment last week that U.S. troops would be in Iraq three more years provoked some consternation. Bush had always said the troops would be there until "the job is done and not a day longer," but few assumed that the troops would remain through his presidency.

Actually, Bush is being way too pessimistic. On April 9, 2003, three weeks after the invasion of Iraq, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld clearly set out the 10 objectives to be achieved "before victory can be declared."

· "Baghdad is in the process of being liberated" and the Hussein regime must be run out of there and other cities, he said. Check -- been run out of just about everywhere at least once.

· "We still must capture [or] account for . . . Saddam Hussein and his sons and the senior Iraqi leadership." Check.

· "We still must find and ensure the safe return of prisoners of war . . . in this war as well as any still held from the last Gulf War." Check -- save for one missing soldier.

· "We still must secure the northern oil fields." Check -- although the pipelines keep getting hit.

· "We still need to find and secure Iraq's weapons of mass destruction facilities. . . ." Check -- they are tightly secured.