Gates in Iraq

The way I read this, the insurgency just proved that they're laying back and can strike anywhere, anytime they wish.

With Sader holding a truce, the Sunni won't attack Iraqi forces and police positions because they don't have the numbers.
The fact is that the extremist leaders are just sitting back, recruiting, stockpiling weapons, and watching the politics.

"The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it's open."

Why do all liberals look for the worst in everything. We are finallt turning the tides in this war. People all across Iraq have shown they are tired of the fear mongering from the terorists, and they are coming together to fight for themselves. All information coming out of Iraq is getting better, yet the liberals just seem to dig for more negativity on this war. Could it be that the democrats know if we win this war they will have no chance in the 2008 Presidential elections? Yes, it is. Success for our troops means failure for the democrats running for President and all democrats in the congress. Can't you just give a little credit to the newstrategy, and at least hope for the victory that we are getting closer to everyday.

Keep drinkin' the Kool-Aid, Anony Mouse.

Wearybottom Associates

Here's more discussion on that. Excerpt:

Without political progress our military presence does no good, and if anything, the political landscape today looks even worse than it did when O&P [O'Hanlon and Pollack] wrote their op-ed four months ago.

Improved security, which is due more to changes in tactics (like Murtha called for long ago) than a troop surge per se, can't help to win a war if the political progress is simultaneously collapsing. If the troop surge is really the reason for reduced violence, as the wingers claim, the situation will revert when the temporary deployments expire. So they should hope people like Murtha were right about tactical changes being the real cause (things like mending fences with Sunnis and establishing better relationships in neighborhoods).

There are other factors too, like millions of people having fled the country. But my, don't Bush and Cheney make delicious Kool Aid!