Day By Day© by Chris Muir.Monday, September 19, 2005
Washington Post reports on Iraq
"US Claims Success in Iraq Despite Onslaught" is the headline for a Washington Post story this morning.
Strange headline considering we get a total of seven words quoted from the military spokesman in Iraq responsible for those claims. Specifically, the words "great successes" in paragraph four, and "Zarqawi is on the ropes" in paragraph seventeen. In both cases, the statements are heavily scrutinized.
For balance, we have one hundred and twelve words critical of U.S. progress from a Washington expert starting in paragraph thirteen.
In addition, we have seventy-one words quoted from Al Queda website statements and a telephone interview with an Al-Queda affiliated spokesman. These statements are not so heavily scrutinized.
Most of the public have not followed Iraq as closely since Katrina took over the headlines. To me, and like minded folks, the military operations and heavy fighting near the Syrian border seem to be progress. We are taking the fight to the enemy and they are standing their ground and dying. Likewise, the suicide bombings against the Shiite minority seem to be desperation. Fewer confrontations by the terrorists against American and Iraqi forces and more against unarmed civilian Iraqis seem to suggest that the ability of the terrorists to hit defended targets has been significantly degraded, and that the terrorists are resorting to the slaughter of civilians to grab headlines.
I would not begrudge the Washington Post from attempting to disabuse me of these notions. One could make a credible argument that I am very wrong, and that the violence in Iraq is intensifying despite our best efforts. I would strongly disagree, as I do not believe that a reduction in violence is the goal (in the short run at least), but rather making dead the enemies of America and the emerging Iraqi government. It is a debate worth having.
This Washington Post story, however, is not contributing to the debate. It is certainly not representing both sides. It is a full on assault against American efforts and an indictment not just of U.S. progress, but U.S. intentions. The Washington Post flatly states that the U.S. military has changed the standards of success by embracing the enemy body counts, "just as it did during the Vietnam War".
It does not occur to the Washington Post that rejecting enemy body count numbers in judging the political success in Iraq would give way when judging the tactical success in a particular battle. Instead, they assume that the U.S. military is engaging in hypocrisy and hints at nefarious intent with a not-so-subtle reference to the Vietnam War.
Read the story.
Strange headline considering we get a total of seven words quoted from the military spokesman in Iraq responsible for those claims. Specifically, the words "great successes" in paragraph four, and "Zarqawi is on the ropes" in paragraph seventeen. In both cases, the statements are heavily scrutinized.
For balance, we have one hundred and twelve words critical of U.S. progress from a Washington expert starting in paragraph thirteen.
In addition, we have seventy-one words quoted from Al Queda website statements and a telephone interview with an Al-Queda affiliated spokesman. These statements are not so heavily scrutinized.
Most of the public have not followed Iraq as closely since Katrina took over the headlines. To me, and like minded folks, the military operations and heavy fighting near the Syrian border seem to be progress. We are taking the fight to the enemy and they are standing their ground and dying. Likewise, the suicide bombings against the Shiite minority seem to be desperation. Fewer confrontations by the terrorists against American and Iraqi forces and more against unarmed civilian Iraqis seem to suggest that the ability of the terrorists to hit defended targets has been significantly degraded, and that the terrorists are resorting to the slaughter of civilians to grab headlines.
I would not begrudge the Washington Post from attempting to disabuse me of these notions. One could make a credible argument that I am very wrong, and that the violence in Iraq is intensifying despite our best efforts. I would strongly disagree, as I do not believe that a reduction in violence is the goal (in the short run at least), but rather making dead the enemies of America and the emerging Iraqi government. It is a debate worth having.
This Washington Post story, however, is not contributing to the debate. It is certainly not representing both sides. It is a full on assault against American efforts and an indictment not just of U.S. progress, but U.S. intentions. The Washington Post flatly states that the U.S. military has changed the standards of success by embracing the enemy body counts, "just as it did during the Vietnam War".
It does not occur to the Washington Post that rejecting enemy body count numbers in judging the political success in Iraq would give way when judging the tactical success in a particular battle. Instead, they assume that the U.S. military is engaging in hypocrisy and hints at nefarious intent with a not-so-subtle reference to the Vietnam War.
Read the story.
