Quote:
Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce
That said, I trust his judgment and his reporting.
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I agree with alll of that, Bruce. But Yon is just one person. His reports are limited to what he is able to see himself. I won't say his reporting is purely anecdotal, because he does talk to a lot of people, but I'd feel much better if there were 100 Yons based all over Iraq, reporting what they see. Then I'd trust the big picture better.
The big picture to me is:
1. The Administration says things aren't that bad. I wish I could believe them, but they have lied so often in the past, their words have no value.
2. The media keeps reporting on all the violence, various car bombs, and the civil war, etc. etc. I see no progress in the war there.
3. Yon says things might not be so bad. They are moving very slowly in the right direction. I trust Yon, but I don't trust that he knows it all.
If the war is winnable (for a reasonable cost in blood and money,) then we should stay. We created this mess, so we should fix it. But if we are not making progress, then we should cut our losses and leave. I've said a couple times that I don't see any progress. Since then, Dwellars have posted a couple of stories and Yon blogs that hint at progress. I hope it's true, but I remain unconvinced. The stories coming out if Iraq are overwhelmingly negative.