Missing the Point of the New Strategy in Iraq
BY Herschel Smith
17 years, 2 months ago
Think Progress, a liberal web site, has a short commentary on the “surge,” the success in Anbar, and how the facts on the ground allegedly bebunk the relationship between the two. Says the commentary:
Today, President Bush held the Anbar province up as an example of his escalation’s success and justification for why the troop buildup should not be cut short:
In Anbar you’re seeing firsthand the dramatic differences that can come when the Iraqis are more secure. … You see Sunnis who once fought side by side with al-Qaida against coalition troops now fighting side by side with coalition troops against al-Qaida.
But as the AP points out, “In truth, the progress in Anbar was initiated by the Iraqis themselves, a point Gates himself made, saying the Sunni tribes decided to fight and retake control from al-Qaida many months before Bush decided to send an extra 4,000 Marines to Anbar as part of his troop buildup.
On September 5, 2007 at 4:53 am, GI said:
You should know by now that trying to use actual logic and reasoning with people like the Think Progress crowd is a hopeless endeavor. Their hate for Bush has turned into a religious conviction that no amount of reasoning can ever change.