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StrategyPage has an excellent summary of the current conditions in Iraq. Here's what they call the money quote.
American casualties continue to decline. U.S. combat deaths are down some 40 percent from February, and are only about a third of what they were in January. Casualties haven't been this low since the Spring of 2003, right after Saddam was toppled. The hard core Sunni Arabs who continued to support Saddam and the Baath Party are a broken force, with most of their leaders either captured, or negotiating deals with the government. Al Qaeda continues to see Iraq as their most important battleground. But the terrorists coming to Iraq find themselves fighting Iraqis, not Americans. The Iraqis, not happy about being the target for al Qaeda bombs, has gone after the terrorists with a vengeance. Al Qaeda is also being hammered in countries throughout the Middle East. This is not quite the sort of war Osama bin Laden had in mind, but it's what he's got, and it doesn't play well for bin Laden in the Arab media.
This isn't a slam-dunk win for us - yet. However, if the situation were reversed, all you'd hear in the news is how badly the war is going, how much Bush screwed up, and we need to bring the troops home now.
Instead we hear in the news, the terrorists are almost destroyed, Bush was not just right, but brilliant, and victory is in sight – Not! What we really hear is nothing.
Ah, the sweet sounds of silence. No news is good news. Woo hoo, does the U.S. kick butt or what?
Posted by Ted at March 24, 2005 9:00 PM