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Read All About It: Making Progress in Iraq

Filed under: Middle East

Nearly three weeks ago, we reported the dramatic news on the effectiveness of the "surge" of additional troops deployed by President Bush in Iraq in reducing casualties and preserving order. Now, the nation's so-called "paper of record" has finally gotten around to the story, with a front-page article yesterday on the drop in casualties and one today on individual people's lives returning to normal. Watch them squirm as they try to rationalize and minimize the data! If these were the opposite figures, showing significant increases in casualties and insecurity, you can bet there would be an editorial in today's paper bashing Bush. Can we then expect one praising him? Not a chance. Four editorials today, none about the good news from Iraq. Yesterday four as well, none on Iraq, one bashing Bush on 9/11-related "torture."

The dodo paper just doesn't get it. So it will go the way of.

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Comments


Josh says:

Well put. Let's face it, Iraq is won, but the liberal media doesn't want to admit it. For those of us who live in reality and know the dangers we face, it's not a question of whether we've already won in Iraq. We've already moved on to the Islamofascist regime in Iran. Once again, we'll liberate Iran from misgyofascism and Islamofascism, the liberals will whine and do everything to undermine us, but we'll stay firm and keep going until all the malignant trolls are swept into the trashbin of history.


madmatt says:

yes, once you ignore the ethnic cleansing that has taken place...constant explosions, intermittent power and water, it sounds like paradise...why don't you move over and be their first neighbor!


Ellis says:

>Well put. Let's face it, Iraq is won

You're right. Iraq is won. It was won years ago, and we should have gotten out then. Think of all the American lives (and dollars) that could have been saved if we had left when the war was over. Everything that has been done since then is for nothing. If we stay for 100 years, the day we're gone is the day they start fighting again.


Mike Filancia says:

Get real, will you? We'll need 100,000 troop for the next 20-30 YEARS to maintain this so-called "victory"--the fact is, Moktada Al-Sadr has ordered his milita to stand down for the time being, hence the drop in violence; 4 million people have been displaced from their homes and most haven't returned; most neighborhoods have been ethnically cleansed either through displacement or death, so no need for more violence now; the US Army no longer actively patrols but waits to respond to skirmishes...the chickens will always come home to roost for this totally incompetent administration and the dolts who so desperately support their lies and distortions.


jay k. says:

1). what was won?
2). iran has gained more than anyone else. is that what you mean by iraq is won?
3). us casualties are down. have you checked the number of airstrikes and civilian casualties? a change in tactics can lead to a change in casualties - which are a notoriously bad indicator anyway.
4). 2007 was the worst year yet for the u.s. casualties. how do you reconcile the long term with the short term.
5). there are more boots on the ground today than ever before. where were you for the last five years when everyone but the white house and it's cult of followers were saying that we don't have enough boots on the ground?
6). others outside the whitehouse have called for a soft partition of iraq...which the white house called a non-starter. today with ethnic cleansing nearly complete you have in effect a soft partitioning of iraq. now you want to claim credit for that. fine. but what about the white house argument that it was not the way to go? were they wrong? or is this momentary lull un-sustainable?


LibertyBoyNYC says:

Let's remember that the overarching goal since 911 is not to turn Iraq into the 51st state, but to protect our homeland here from terrorism...Have Islamic [or any] terrorists attacked MY nation, MY USA, since 2001? No, they have not. Clearly, the war on terror is being won. Clearly, we have a ways to go with Iraq and other nations to integrate our concepts of modernity and moderation with their traditions. But...everytime I hear of bloodshed in Iraq, I can't help but think of the absence of bloodshed here.


LibertyBoyNYC says:

Jay K:

1] 6 years of no terrorist attacks on our soil.
2] 6 years of no terrorist attacks on our soil.
3] 6 years of no terrorist attacks on our soil.
4] 6 years of no terrorist attacks on our soil.
5] 6 years of no terrorist attacks on our soil.
6] 6 years of no terrorist attacks on our soil.


pedro says:

Neocons have hijacked the United States and their rantings and chest-thumping makes no sense. They have ruined this country for the good. They have made us Nazi Germany.


jay k. says:

libertyboynyc...i guess you don't remember the anthrax attacks. or the attack on our embassy in syria. but ok...let me ask you this...why would al queda attack us here right now? they have us right where bin laden said he wanted us. he has spoken about hurting us ecomnomically. we did exactly what he said he wanted us to do and over-reacted to aq's attacks. in the process we have overextended and all but decimated our military. we have BORROWED over two trillion dollars to pay for an attck and occupation of iraq which had nothing to do with al queda. we made an already unstable middle-east far less stable and in the process the price of oil has gone to nearly $100 a barrel. bin laden has said he wants it at $200. that's probably only an attack on iran away. in addition he wants a united middle-east. today iran has allies in hamas, hezzbolla, and syria. in addition iran now has incredible influence in iraq...far more than us. that's probably not exactly what bin laden wanted...but it's not terrible for his purposes either. and finally al queda is winning the pr battle in the middle east. the us is seen as the evil empire. so...i ask you...with all that going his way...why risk the downside of another attack? you can swallow spin...or you can think about it. and if you think about it you will realize you are living under a false sense of security.


tommo says:

Remember Colin Powell's "Pottery Barn" analogy? We've been sitting on a huge pile of shards over there for five years now. Somebody found two shards that match, and suddenly the wingnuts start screaming, "Look, we're making progress! Bush was right all along! Hurrah!"

To heck with the Constitution! Bush is a genius! Torture works! We're number one! USA! USA!

You've been wrong about everything, EVERYTHING for the last seven years. Why would anyone in their right mind ever listen to you or any Repugliker ever again? You should be tried for treason for the damage you have helped do to our beloved nation.


mike filancia says:

Just read that the Pentagon is demanding that soldiers who were wounded in Iraq give back the bonuses they were given since they can't serve out the remainder of their deployments--wow, I call that really supporting the troops! Yet the Pentagon won't even attempt to get back any of the $ that were lost due to fraud! This admin just gets crazier and crazier! And why do people like libertyboynyc always forget that the attack happened DURING Bush's term--even tho the WH was already eavesdropping on American phone conversations by Feb of 2001--Bush is the idiot responsible for 9-11.


John Ryan says:

The tipping point for support for the war was reached about 2 years ago. Americans have made a choice, they no longer support the war. They still support the troops, but they don't support the war.


conman says:

LibertyBoyNYC said "everytime I hear of bloodshed in Iraq, I can't help but think of the absence of bloodshed here." Wow, what a true patroit. Everytime you hear about one of our brave soldiers getting killed or wounded in Iraq you think - thank god it wasn't me! If we only had more cowardly people like yourselves maybe we would have defeated the terrorist by now. By the way, the terrorist group that attacked us on 9-11 are in Pakistan and Afganistan, not Iraq. Maybe we should send all of our troops into those regions to go on the offensive agaisnt them - oh wait a second, we don't have any more troops because they are all in Iraq! My bad.


MattM says:

Hey LibertyboyNYC,

Since I switched to quilted toilet paper there have been no attacks on American soil either. So maybe we should just all buy softer stuff to wipe our butts with to protect ourselves from terrorism.


JML says:

Well, gee, a massive influx of troops has had an effect on the level of violence in Iraq. Who woulda thunk it? It took Bush years to figure out that more troops were needed and now he's a genius for doing what everybody knew he should have done from square one? How many people, Amreican and Iraqi, are dead because the White House brain trust didn't have the balls to admit that their initial calculations were radically off the mark? Feel free to answer. This garbage passes for success on the Right.

Before the Invasion, an analyst at the Pentagon figured that the State of California had about 450,000 persons employed in various aspects of law enforcement - from police officers to corrections officers to court personnel to National Guard personnel. California is similar to Iraq in population and geographical size. So, if Calilfornia, which is a peaceful prosperous state, requires 450,000 people to maintain law and order, how many troops do you suppose it would take to pacify Iraq? When the analyst suggested to Don Rumsfeld et al that at least half a million troops would be needed to conduct the Invasion and provide post-Invasion security, he was literally laughed out of the conference room because he didn't share the Bush Administration's rosy predictions that such a massive undertaking could be accomplished on the cheap with a minimal invasion force.

Never mind that over 2 million Iraqis have simply fled to neighboring countries. That's nearly 10 percent of the Iraqi population. Success!

Never mind that years of sectarian violence has left neighborhoods and regions ethnically cleansed, hence the drop in violence. Declaring victory in this situation is sort of like firefighters deciding to let a fire burn itself out and then congratulating each other on a job well done. Success!

10 billion in American taxpayers' dollars goes unaccounted for in Iraq, but the Bush Administration demands that disfigured Iraq "war" (America hasn't declared war on anybody since December of 1941) vets return their signing bonuses. Success!

With one success after another, what's not to love about the Republicans?

I noticed that the initial post isn't attributed to anyone in particular, other than perhaps Publius Pundit, whoever that might be. So, to whoever wrote the glorious piece about our progress in Iraq, I invite you to take up any one of the points I have raised and use it/them to explain to me why I should drink the Republican Kool-Aid. Me likes Kool-Aid, but only certain flavors, like truth and reality.


Aris Katsaris says:

You are still putting quotes around the word "torture". You are disgusting.

"6 years of no terrorist attacks on our soil."

You mean just like the 6 years of no terrorist attacks "on your soil" that you had before 9/11?

I don't expect you to care for the terrorist attacks in Spain, in London, or in Iraq itself of course. Those concern subhuman non-American lives after all.

Congrats that you "won" in Iraq, according to your extremely weird definition of "winning" that isn't shared by most other people in the universe.


Josh says:

I thought this forum was for people committed to democracy and peace. What are all these defeatists and surrender monkeys doing here? Go to Kos and convince yourselves there that America is the source of all evil.


LibertyBoyNYC says:

6 years...6 years...I didn't know 2 words could piss so many people off. Or that so many people are listening.

Matt, eat more fiber - I would recommend wolfing down the NY Times, but that has no substance. Fiber is key to good health, my friend. Stay away from Chinese food.

I hope oil hits $200 a barrel. Everytime it hikes up, the economy seems to shed another layer of fluff. Illegal immigrants taxing the welfare and infrastructure system [this I've seen with my own eyes], property overvaluation [same there!], low quality / shady Chinese goods flooding our store shelves, prying open markets for illegal pharmceuticals, polluting our children's health. I am anxious to see what we will "lose" next. Each step forward is another layer burned off.

Personally, in the last 6 years, I've purchased and sold property in NYC, traveled the world [at least Europe & South America, which I can afford], invested, and generally have been able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. And I am not a wealthy man, by the standards of my countrymen, nor was I born that way. Attacks on our economy? What are these mullahs smoking? Where can I get some? I'll sell it for profit. From some of these comments, it seems like there's a market for it. [Apologies to Publius Pundit - this is not a offer I should be making here]

As for the rest of you, I apologize, I forgot that Iraq was positively paradise before the Americans landed. Peaceful and prosperous. A veritable Eden [hey, maybe 5,000 years ago]. Truly, the first casuality of this war was naivete, that's the only ephemeral paradise spoiled here, but that's a thing that should be left to die. Some people see the USA as "world leader" but really they think, "what can the people of the USA do for me." Marines are volunteering to die for all of you too. Because we have choice. For me, this is about MY country. IF the planes are to fall from the sky [and there are always planes falling from the sky], better someplace else!! You don't want the admin and the military to do right thing, you want God to come down and smite the wicked! [Wicked should be in quotes]

Does everyone here watch CNN? Hope not.


Aris Katsaris says:

"I thought this forum was for people committed to democracy and peace."

I had thought so too, when I discovered this forum at the time of the democratic revolution in Ukraine which was using peaceful means to support democratic purposes against election-rigging and against Russian imperialism.

Since then, however, the anti-democratic torture-supporters have taken control of this blog though, and it has been transformed to an instrument in support of tyranny, as long as its done by the "right" tyrants (meaning ones of the right national origin and mainly fiscal ideas)

"What are all these defeatists and surrender monkeys doing here?"

Am not at all a defeatist in relation to the war my civilization is fighting against fascism, imperialism, torture and terror.

We simply happen to be on different sides, you being in favour of all of the above (as long as they are done by the right people), and me being against them (no matter who commits them).



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