Well, maybe I shouldn't give up on the mainstream media just yet. While I have been getting frustrated by the disconnect between what on the ground journalists (such as Michael Yon and Michael J Totten and milbloggers have been saying and the drumbeat of defeat coming from the press and the Dems, something funny happened - the media is hesitantly starting to acknowledge what those who really understand counterinsurgency operations have been saying. Namely, the so-caled "surge", which much more than additional troops represents a radical change of tactics, is starting to have a noticeable impact.
As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration's miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily 'victory,' but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with.
- Brookings Institution analysts Michael O'Hanlon and Ken Pollack whose report has been broadly covered in the press
Attacks against U.S. forces were down sharply last month nationwide, and military officials have expressed cautious optimism that a security crackdown is workingThis should be a cause for hope - after all we have spent much blood and treasure, and to have a chance for that not to be in vain is in the interest of every American of every stripe. But for certain members of the Democratic party, it is the worst possible outcome:
-AP
- Most Democrats seem so invested in defeat in Iraq that they apparently have no 'Plan B,' which would be success. - Miami Herald
- a spokesman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democratic leaders are 'not willing to concede there are positive things to point to' in Iraq.
- House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn said that a favorable report from Gen. David Petraeus '(would be) a real problem for us'
- Freshman Rep. Nancy Boyda of Kansas, who unseated Republican Jim Ryun last fall, bolted from a hearing room when retired Gen. Jack Keane described positive developments in Iraq.
Politicians just suck.
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4 comments:
I rarely watch the MSM anymore, but the milbloggers are saying great things about what is happening in Iraq. Yesterday, I posted a note from my Marine cousin in Ramadi as well as an excerpt from Michael Yon, who is pretty upbeat these days.
Oh yeah, keep up the good work - you guys are awesome.
I just finished reading "1776" by David McCullough. My brother gave me the book for Christmas, and it has taken me a while to get to it. I think it provides a good foundation for what it took to get our country in to the proper frame of mind for success, and where we might be if the defeatists held control.
As a sidebar, or what the SGT considers a rant, if I may, I took a day off yesterday and went to the beach with the kids. The amusement park was too crowded to attend. These are the freedoms that some of our population takes for granted. I do not. Unfortunately I doubt that anyone in sight, other than maybe the junior high aged campers would even know the significance of 1776, let alone current events.
While the book didn't focus on politics, per se, it was quite evident that some of the same military v. government bureaucracy problems existed then in both England and America. There was even a period of time while battles where being carried on but the congress at the time recessed (this may be the precedent for 2007's recess!). I would venture to guess, based on the tidbits of information provided in the book that even the press of the time (in New York) was biased.
Definitely worth a read!
More reporting on signs of success - Iraq critics cite military progress
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