Rational Sobriety
By Mitch Berg
From Michael Yon’s Thanksgiving report from Baqubah, a call for sober appreciation of significant progress – one that takes an ironic turn:
Bottom line is that progress is clear and real, but there are tough days ahead and al Qaeda, for instance, is far from dead. The mood is of cautious optimism, with a concern that some of the very positive media lately might set expectations too high. (That’s right: many military leaders are concerned that the media lately might be too positive.)
Call for Charles Krauthammer.
Bottom line is that I am more optimistic than ever before, but I share that caution. It’s obvious, too, that the tough fighting is not over.
It’s too early for anyone to be chanting the “V” word. Just as it’s too late to be crowing that Iraq is a lost cause (while mentally tallying up electoral votes).
But I came across something today that might make veterans of the fighting in Baqubah proud. Back in May, just before operation Arrowhead Ripper, there were about 60 violent acts per day. Now there are about 6. The markets are opening and the streets are again filled with people. I thought the veterans of Baqubah might like to know that their efforts have made a tremendous difference for the people here. You fought hard. This writer saw it. Your sacrifices truly meant something.
There’s nothing I could possibly add.
November 25th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
It’s too early for anyone to be chanting the “V” word. – Yet you’ve done so twice to date.
Given that it took 4.5 years for your idiotic President to grasp that being contemptuous of the plight of Iraqis, I don’t think it was too anything, (and btw, too late??? how would it be too late, is it over??) – it gave every appearance of being a lost cause given the putrid manner in which it was run, the obdurate stupidity and hubris of the administration, and the feckless ass kissing of the neo-con fan base – why would anyone think anything BUT that you all were too stupid to learn? You’ve certainly shown no ability to admit to mistakes in the past.
November 25th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Put another way, Mitch, I understand why you chose not to use the words “just as it was too early to say it was a lost cause’, because clearly, then you’d be putting yourself in a postion of ‘declaring victory’ while denying you’d done so, in the same breath you criticized the left for declaring failure – both prematurely, but that never stopped you.
The problem is, of course, even if somehow this administration learns, it still invaded for the wrong reasons, based on lies and deceipt. Do you, now, today, say that Iraq had WMD, was going to give them to Al Qaeda if we didn’t invade? Knowing of course no one can predict, with 100% certainty, the future, can say, THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN – and the position this fool of a President took asked anyone who disagrees with him to disprove a negative – but bottom line, even if ‘victory’ is somehow possible, and the main problem still isn’t solved, and you have no solution for it, but even if it’s possible, that doesn’t rewrite history, you invaded on a lie, you invaded the wrong country, and as for counting electoral votes, considering the neo-cons only changed once they LOST in 2006, only adapted based on political defeat, you are the LAST people on earth who should be complaining about partisanship shaping policy.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
It’s too early for anyone to be chanting the “V” word. – Yet you’ve done so twice to date.
Untrue.
Given that it took 4.5 years for your idiotic President
Wrong again. OUR President. Just like Hillary! will be OUR President if she gets elected.
to grasp that being contemptuous of the plight of Iraqis, I don’t think it was too anything, (and btw, too late??? how would it be too late, is it over??)
Huh?
– it gave every appearance of being a lost cause given the putrid manner in which it was run, the obdurate stupidity and hubris of the administration, and the feckless ass kissing of the neo-con fan base – why would anyone think anything BUT that you all were too stupid to learn?
especially since you had your mind made up from November 9, 2000.
You’ve certainly shown no ability to admit to mistakes in the past.
Well, to be fair, you’ve neither illuminated any nor presented them in a way that any reasonable person would have been able to decipher.
Put another way, Mitch, I understand why you chose not to use the words “just as it was too early to say it was a lost cause’, because clearly, then you’d be putting yourself in a postion of ‘declaring victory’ while denying you’d done so, in the same breath you criticized the left for declaring failure – both prematurely, but that never stopped you.
And the fact that I never did never stopped you from making a sweeping unsupportable statement!
The problem is, of course, even if somehow this administration learns, it still invaded for the wrong reasons, based on lies and deceipt
According to you.
. Do you, now, today, say that Iraq had WMD, was going to give them to Al Qaeda if we didn’t invade?
No, and it’s irrelevant. I recognize – as the President said, and that noted liberal tool New Yorker noted in 2003, that there were FOUR, not one, grounds for war. I was no more tied to WMD than you are to, say, reasoned discussion without ad-homina.
Knowing of course no one can predict, with 100% certainty, the future
This from the guy who, yesterday, wrote that nothing I write will “stand the test of time”? You seem to have claimed the “predict the future” title for yourself!
We’ll see how you deliver, huh?
can say, THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN – and the position this fool of a President took asked anyone who disagrees with him to disprove a negative – but bottom line, even if ‘victory’ is somehow possible, and the main problem still isn’t solved, and you have no solution for it, but even if it’s possible, that doesn’t rewrite history, you invaded on a lie, you invaded the wrong country, and as for counting electoral votes, considering the neo-cons only changed once they LOST in 2006, only adapted based on political defeat, you are the LAST people on earth who should be complaining about partisanship shaping policy.
At the risk of repeating myself – huh?
November 26th, 2007 at 12:01 am
Oh, yeah – and take it up with Yon.
I know, I know – what would he know?
November 26th, 2007 at 12:40 am
“but even if it’s possible, that doesn’t rewrite history, you invaded on a lie, you invaded the wrong country,”
If Mitch has invaded a country I stand foursquare with Peev in condemning his imperialistic actions.
November 26th, 2007 at 8:08 am
In other words, you support Mitch but you oppose his war.
Gotcha.