JayB Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 Proof: A War We Just Might Win By MICHAEL E. O’HANLON and KENNETH M. POLLACK IEWED from Iraq, where we just spent eight days meeting with American and Iraqi military and civilian personnel, the political debate in Washington is surreal. The Bush administration has over four years lost essentially all credibility. Yet now the administration’s critics, in part as a result, seem unaware of the significant changes taking place. Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. 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. After the furnace-like heat, the first thing you notice when you land in Baghdad is the morale of our troops. In previous trips to Iraq we often found American troops angry and frustrated — many sensed they had the wrong strategy, were using the wrong tactics and were risking their lives in pursuit of an approach that could not work. Today, morale is high. The soldiers and marines told us they feel that they now have a superb commander in Gen. David Petraeus; they are confident in his strategy, they see real results, and they feel now they have the numbers needed to make a real difference..... Michael E. O’Hanlon is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Kenneth M. Pollack is the director of research at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dechristo Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 But, but, but, Harry Reid said, "the war is lost". And, I can't recall the vast number of politicians that have stated that The Surge isn't working, has failed. The Brookings Institute must've been bought-off by the Whitehouse. It's the only explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lI1|1! Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 this thread already happened, sorta. while i like the nytimes and read it all the time, it's good to keep in mind that they often come out very pro-isreal. whether or not the war is working it helps isreal to have US troops there. anyway this editorial piece seems to be based on some reporters impressions of the atmosphere or something. i'd say we still have to see, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underworld Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 good news = take w/ skeptisism bad news = gospel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crux Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Still, it's good to hear from credible sources like O'Hanlon and Pollack that they found no reason to doubt the Bush claim that Iraq is a safer place to be than American cities. Had I previously understood that a warzone is such a comparatively safer, peaceful place to be, then I too, just like O'Hanlon and Pollack, would have supported the war long ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.