PrintJuly 27, 2008
The Associated Press Says 'US Now Winning Iraq War'
I nearly dropped my bowl of Rice Krispies when I saw this article this morning. Since it's AP, I will only give you a bare snippet but you simply must read it because 1) the source; and 2) what this news outlet had been saying about the Iraq War for the previous 5 years
The United States is now winning the war that two years ago seemed lost.
Limited, sometimes sharp fighting and periodic terrorist bombings in Iraq are likely to continue, possibly for years. But the Iraqi government and the U.S. now are able to shift focus from mainly combat to mainly building the fragile beginnings of peace - a transition that many found almost unthinkable as recently as one year ago.
Contrast this with AP headlines in previous years where they routinely used words like "hopeless," "lost cause," and even "defeat."
Also, please read Michael Totten's very insightful piece at Commentary this morning where he fleshes out the fact that we have actually fought three wars these last few years; the war against Saddam, the Shia-Sunni civil war, and the war against al-Qaeda and other terrorists.
The AP may be the very last to jump on board the victory train but now that they're here, watch closely as Democratic rhetoric about the war does a complete 180. The withdrawal will now be couched in words of "victory" and that a timetable is necessary now because "we've won."
No credit to Bush. No credit to Republicans. No credit to conservatives. Precious little credit to the troops. Only an attempt to horn in on a military victory their leadership in Congress said was impossible as recently as January of this year.
There is nothing fair about politics.
