Earlier today, NewsBusters' Matt Sheffield caught a Washington Post editorial which told us, "Don't look now, but the U.S.-backed government and army may be winning the war." The editorial noted "a relative lull in news coverage and debate about Iraq in recent weeks -- which is odd, because May could turn out to have been one of the most important months of the war."
The Post also suggested that the situation "ought to mandate an already-overdue rethinking by the "this-war-is-lost" caucus in Washington, including Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
Maybe, but if the results continue, both in military progress and reduced casualties (May 2008 had the lowest single-month number of US and total coalition troop fatalities ever), how about an "I was wrong, I am sorry" first?
Even more remarkable than WaPo's editorial was that the Associated Press's Kim Gamel included "the S-word" four times in her Friday afternoon coverage of Iraqi terrorists/insurgents turning themselves in. Not in the headline, of course (What do you want, miracles?), but twice in the first six paragraphs:
Some Iraqi insurgents agree to reconcile
School teacher Raad Mohammed Mahdi used to take on another role after classes: foot soldier in the Sunni insurgency north of Baghdad.
He grew weary of his double life last year and wanted to lay down his arms. The problem was he didn't know how to surrender formally without facing possible jail time.
Last week, Mahdi entered a U.S. military base and signed a form that amounts to a personal truce. More than 140 other men came the next day after learning that soldiers did not detain Mahdi, whose late brother was an insurgent leader.
It marked some of the first steps in a new U.S.-Iraqi program to offer a way out for those who renounce violence — part of widening attempts at national reconciliation as sectarian violence shows signs of easing.
The latest offer promises a clean slate for fighters if they claim their only targets were American troops. It also pledges a "fair" legal process for those wanted for attacks on Iraqis troops or civilians.
Since the program was expanded this month to Sunni areas near Balad, more than 300 men have surrendered. Most have been released, although 76 were given a court date to face Iraqi charges.
..... (US Lt. Col. Bob) McCarthy, who is from Mechanicsburg, Ill., estimated that probably less than 20 percent of those who have surrendered were members al-Qaida in Iraq.
...... Qais Dhiab Ahmed ..... is ..... a tribal leader who has taken the lead in encouraging the surrenders.
Look up the definitions of "reconcile" and "surrender" yourself. They are, of course, not even close.
Do you think anyone in the media will ask Barack Obama, Hillary "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" Clinton, Harry "We've lost" Reid, or other Democrats who predicted we had lost or would lose their opinion of the situation now, and how they could have gotten it so wrong?
And is it actually possible that the V-word will put in an appearance pretty soon?
Cross-posted as BizzyBlog.com.
—Tom Blumer is president of a training and development company in Mason, Ohio, and is a contributing editor to NewsBusters
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Strategy Page has it best as usual
June 1, 2008 - 20:32 ET by JWFWe are turning heads. We are winning. Iraqi's are getting behind our effort. Now if we could get the Democrats behind our effort, hah, what am I saying..
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/iraq/articles/20080530.aspx
VICTORY
June 1, 2008 - 20:37 ET by BlondeThere is no other word in the lexicon.
Well, unless, of course, unless one is of the democrat (defeatocrat) stripe.
VICTORY.
It is the most wonderful word we have...and what our troops have been fighting for.
One word.
VICTORY.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
MacArthur, Churchill, and Lincoln
June 1, 2008 - 22:15 ET by benjamingates"In war there is no substitute for victory." - Gen. Douglas MacArthur
"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory." - Winston Churchill
"Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way." - Abraham Lincoln
"One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half." - Winston Churchill
"You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor and you will have war." - Churchill's remark after Neville Chamberlain returned from signing the Munich pact with Hitler
Failed Policies My Ass
June 1, 2008 - 21:26 ET by TWOTIMETUNADemocrats are either Parasites or Parasite Enablers
MacArthur, Churchill, and Lincoln
June 1, 2008 - 22:10 ET by benjamingates"In war there is no substitute for victory." - Gen. Douglas MacArthur
"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory." - Winston Churchill
"Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way." - Abraham Lincoln
"One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half." - Winston Churchill
"You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor and you will have war." - Churchill's remark after Neville Chamberlain returned from signing the Munich pact with Hitler
1 Corinthians 15:57
June 1, 2008 - 22:14 ET by benjamingatesThat was supposed to post below to Blonde.
benjamin
June 1, 2008 - 22:15 ET by botgthis one is particularly appropos ala los leftists, i may have to use it as my next sig if you don't mind
"You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor and you will have war." - Churchill's remark after Neville Chamberlain returned from signing the Munich pact with Hitler
Support our Troops
Ephesians 1:19
June 1, 2008 - 22:17 ET by benjamingatesIt's all yours, my man.
Wow! Shows you MUST read the BLOGS
June 2, 2008 - 01:05 ET by crtuneAmazing news. . also amazing proof that an informed person must read weblogs in order to actually obtain decent news info. Of course, it is pretty useless to think you are informed because of your subscription to the LA Times, or the NY Times, or the WaPo, and so forth.
Somehow, even Google News (most likely because it ranks based upon number of other sites linking to the site) does not provide a thorough source of news. So Newsbusters.org is a daily (sometimes two or three times daily) ritual.
Chris Tune - Los Angeles
If you don't read the
June 2, 2008 - 03:52 ET by lnthompIf you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.--Mark Twain
Lee T.
U.S. Navy (ret.) / Vancouver, Washington
The history of the race, and each individual's experience, are thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.-- Mark Twain
If the Russians had
June 2, 2008 - 07:29 ET by AntiMediaIf the Russians had overthrown Saddam Hussein would anybody think they lost the war?
The MSM would have said
June 2, 2008 - 09:28 ET by dscottThe MSM would have said what war? Communists and leftists by definition are liberators and therefore can not be warmongers. It would have been chararcterized as a liberation for the people against their oppressors. Only a capitalist nation is considered a warmonger and Imperialist by definition, and guess who makes and disseminates the definitions?
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
The final wind up of the
June 2, 2008 - 09:25 ET by dscottThe final wind up of the Iraq situation is good news for the Iraqis, the US and UK militaries and bad news for the Dems, Iranians and terrorists. However, let's not kid ourselves the situation can turn on a dime if al Qaeda and Iran find another creative lethal means to up the body count. April was 19 dead and May was 1 dead US soldier, both months set the lowest ever death toll since entering Iraq in 2003, but those figures while very heartening do not end the matter, there are still the hundreds of soldiers being wounded every month. The low death toll is not from a lack of trying. While the death toll means alot to the MSM, al Qaeda and Iran since killing an American is their public victory count, it doesn't mean a lessening of sorrow for the families of the true victims here, the soldiers who are wounded and maimed by attempts on their lives.
Personally, I see the lack of death not as a sign of total victory, but of the Military's ever creative adaptation to counter the enemy's means of killing. Total victory for the US is a stable Iraq that is able to defend itself against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. The day the US military need no longer conduct foot patrols will signify that Iraq can stand on it's own with only the need of special circumstance support will mark total victory over terrorism. Remember, we won the Iraq war in 2003 against Saddam and that is an undisputed fact, a new front started shortly thereafter with the terrorists.
It was a tough fight because Iraq became the swamp into which all the dregs of the earth flowed, we pumped that swamp dry and in the process vastly depleted the numbers of terrorists worldwide. This represents the strategic thinking and foreign policy triumph of the Bush Administration. Either most of the Dems were so totally incompetent to see the strategic plan or were so politically motivated that they wanted failure to regain power. In either case, incompetence or political malevolence both disqualify Dems for national public office. Only Senator Lieberman and a select group of Dems had the vision and devotion to seek the public good and for this they have EARNED our respect. We may disagree with these people on their liberal politics but they have demonstrated they are Americans first. If the Dems truly want to get back into the Whitehouse, they would dump both Clinton and Obama and nominate Liebermann. With Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, there is no chance of that.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
they wanted failure to regain power
June 2, 2008 - 12:14 ET by wizardjrThis is, and always has been about corrupt power with regards to the Demoncrat party and their treasonous (IMHO) acts related to the war in Iraq. Their purpose has always been to trash anything President Bush stands for so he will be a 'failed president'.
PREDICTION: Victory will not be declared in Iraq until President Bush is out of office. Probably not if John McCain gets the Whitehouse, either. Once a Demoncrat is at 1600 Pennsylvania there will suddenly be a "victory".
Seems I mis-read the site
June 3, 2008 - 09:21 ET by dscottSeems I mis-read the site stats, May had 19 not April, off by a month. But that doesn't change my points.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.