Quote:
Originally posted by bilmore
I think we do. We just look at that concern, pay a bit more attention to context, and realize that the concern is somewhat - not totally, but somewhat - overblown.
Remember that part of the context involves cries of quagmire, deterioration, popular uprising, swinging opinion, lack of resolve, and poor execution from day one. I don't remember a week when the sky wasn't falling, in some people's minds. This is a significant blip. I think we make it over this blip fairly quickly. Problem is, you only have forty-some days to make it an insurmountable one. If there was no election coming up, I think we would be hearing far less doomsday talk. Bush made it clear long ago that this will be a long undertaking, requiring significant resolve and expense and work. Kerry has to make it into chaos right now, and so he claims that Bush has failed to fix things on a timetable that Bush explicitly disavowed long ago.
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2 to what ShapeShifter said. If we're simply wrong because we're "not reading Iraq news," please direct me to what Iraq news I should be reading that will bring me to the conclusion you describe.
If it can help interpret the NIE (describing likely Iraq scenarios by end of 2005 ranging from the lovely political and security stability of Lebanon to us being in the middle of a civil war), that'd be handy too.
If today's news of people being kidnapped in one of Baghdad's "secured," residential neighborhoods, which has had the effect of scaring the shit out of every foreign journalist, ambassador and professional not holed up in the Green Zone is part of the small blip you describe, that'd be helpful also.
I am unconvinced that the vast majority of worldwide news media output is really the result of a bunch of whiners who have been complaining since day one or who are plotting their coverage in light of the apocalyptic needs of the Kerry campaign.
But I could be wrong.
