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Monday, July 30, 2007

Some optimism in the New York Times

There's an amazing piece in the NYT today from two scholars at Brookings, Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack. The title says it all:
A War We Just Might Win
These are both scholars who are by no means shills for the Bush administration. They've had plenty to criticize the administration's handling of the war in Iraq. But they are honest analysts and now report their observations from visiting Iraq. And these are not conclusions that defeatist Democrats can like hearing.
VIEWED 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.
Read the rest. They're not sugarcoating the analysis, but they see evidence for optimism. If we stay and follow up on the advances that we have made this year.
In the end, the situation in Iraq remains grave. In particular, we still face huge hurdles on the political front. Iraqi politicians of all stripes continue to dawdle and maneuver for position against one another when major steps towards reconciliation — or at least accommodation — are needed. This cannot continue indefinitely. Otherwise, once we begin to downsize, important communities may not feel committed to the status quo, and Iraqi security forces may splinter along ethnic and religious lines.

How much longer should American troops keep fighting and dying to build a new Iraq while Iraqi leaders fail to do their part? And how much longer can we wear down our forces in this mission? These haunting questions underscore the reality that the surge cannot go on forever. But there is enough good happening on the battlefields of Iraq today that Congress should plan on sustaining the effort at least into 2008.
Read the rest and remember - this is in the New York Times! Perhaps their editors read their own paper.
Labels: Iraq

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 7:58 AM 0 comments

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There's an amazing piece in the NYT today from two scholars at Brookings, Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack. The title says it all:

A War We Just Might Win

These are both scholars who are by no means shills for the Bush administration. They've had plenty to criticize the administration's handling of the war in Iraq. But they are honest analysts and now report their observations from visiting Iraq. And these are not conclusions that defeatist Democrats can like hearing.

VIEWED 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.

Read the rest. They're not sugarcoating the analysis, but they see evidence for optimism. If we stay and follow up on the advances that we have made this year.

In the end, the situation in Iraq remains grave. In particular, we still face huge hurdles on the political front. Iraqi politicians of all stripes continue to dawdle and maneuver for position against one another when major steps towards reconciliation — or at least accommodation — are needed. This cannot continue indefinitely. Otherwise, once we begin to downsize, important communities may not feel committed to the status quo, and Iraqi security forces may splinter along ethnic and religious lines.

How much longer should American troops keep fighting and dying to build a new Iraq while Iraqi leaders fail to do their part? And how much longer can we wear down our forces in this mission? These haunting questions underscore the reality that the surge cannot go on forever. But there is enough good happening on the battlefields of Iraq today that Congress should plan on sustaining the effort at least into 2008.

Read the rest and remember - this is in the New York Times! Perhaps their editors read their own paper.

Labels: Iraq

posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 7:58 AM 0 comments

Comments: Post a Comment

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Monday, July 30, 2007

Some optimism in the New York Times

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HOME Betsy neither necessarily uses, nor endorses, the products advertised on this site. The truth about Avesil Cheap Hosting Atlanta Bankruptcy Attorney Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney Wikio Get exclusive travel deals and book discount cheap flights Online Bachelors Degree Comments from an AP history and government teacher in Raleigh, NC. e-mail betsynewmark AT gmail.com Commissions earned from selling items through Amazon will go towards buying materials for my classes. Thank you. Site Feed		Monday, July 30, 2007 Some optimism in the New York Times There's an amazing piece in the NYT today from two scholars at Brookings, Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack. The title says it all: A War We Just Might Win These are both scholars who are by no means shills for the Bush administration. They've had plenty to criticize the administration's handling of the war in Iraq. But they are honest analysts and now report their observations from visiting Iraq. And these are not conclusions that defeatist Democrats can like hearing. VIEWED 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. Read the rest. They're not sugarcoating the analysis, but they see evidence for optimism. If we stay and follow up on the advances that we have made this year. In the end, the situation in Iraq remains grave. In particular, we still face huge hurdles on the political front. Iraqi politicians of all stripes continue to dawdle and maneuver for position against one another when major steps towards reconciliation — or at least accommodation — are needed. This cannot continue indefinitely. Otherwise, once we begin to downsize, important communities may not feel committed to the status quo, and Iraqi security forces may splinter along ethnic and religious lines. How much longer should American troops keep fighting and dying to build a new Iraq while Iraqi leaders fail to do their part? And how much longer can we wear down our forces in this mission? These haunting questions underscore the reality that the surge cannot go on forever. But there is enough good happening on the battlefields of Iraq today that Congress should plan on sustaining the effort at least into 2008. Read the rest and remember - this is in the New York Times! Perhaps their editors read their own paper. Labels: Iraq posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 7:58 AM 0 comments Comments: There's an amazing piece in the NYT today from two scholars at Brookings, Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack. The title says it all: A War We Just Might Win These are both scholars who are by no means shills for the Bush administration. They've had plenty to criticize the administration's handling of the war in Iraq. But they are honest analysts and now report their observations from visiting Iraq. And these are not conclusions that defeatist Democrats can like hearing. VIEWED 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. Read the rest. They're not sugarcoating the analysis, but they see evidence for optimism. If we stay and follow up on the advances that we have made this year. In the end, the situation in Iraq remains grave. In particular, we still face huge hurdles on the political front. Iraqi politicians of all stripes continue to dawdle and maneuver for position against one another when major steps towards reconciliation — or at least accommodation — are needed. This cannot continue indefinitely. Otherwise, once we begin to downsize, important communities may not feel committed to the status quo, and Iraqi security forces may splinter along ethnic and religious lines. How much longer should American troops keep fighting and dying to build a new Iraq while Iraqi leaders fail to do their part? And how much longer can we wear down our forces in this mission? These haunting questions underscore the reality that the surge cannot go on forever. But there is enough good happening on the battlefields of Iraq today that Congress should plan on sustaining the effort at least into 2008. Read the rest and remember - this is in the New York Times! Perhaps their editors read their own paper. Labels: Iraq posted by Betsy Newmark permalink 7:58 AM 0 comments Comments: Post a Comment