But still progress, is progress… And coming from such dissimilar sources, does anyone doubt they are seeing the same thing??
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/08/29/2007-08-29_frontline_lessons_from_the_iraq_surge.html
This trip – from which I returned this month – was my fourth reporting stint in the country since the conflict began. And this time, what I saw was overwhelming, undeniable and, like it or not, complicated: In some places, the surge is working remarkably well. In others, it is not. And the only way we will know for sure whether the tide can be turned is to continue the policy and wait.
I know that’s not what many Americans and politicians want to hear, but it’s the truth.
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Elsewhere in Iraq, though, progress is extraordinary and unambiguous. I spent a week in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, which just four months ago was the most violent place in Iraq. Al Qaeda had taken over and ruled the city through a massive murder and intimidation campaign. Even the Marine Corps, arguably the least defeatist institution in America, wrote off Ramadi as irretrievably lost last August.
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_247203227.html
“We hear so much about things going bad, but real progress has been made there in terms of security and stability,” Couric said Tuesday. “I mean, obviously, infrastructure problems abound, but Sunnis and U.S. forces are working together. They banded together because they had a common enemy: al Qaeda.”
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“The spike in police has really been significant,” Couric said. “The incidents in Iraq have gone down dramatically.”
Security and stability have improved in Iraq, but basic services remain in disrepair.
“I think everyone I talk to agrees that restoring basic services is really an imperative step in bringing stability and some kind of sense of society to Iraq,” Couric said.
There are going to be several assessments and reports coming out in the next week or so. Already the GOA report on the benchmarks is causing the expected amount of political hay. But what does it all mean? There are really 2 aspects. One is describing reality as accurately as possible, and the other is what policy decisions that leads to.
So, is Michael Totten correct? The only way to be sure is to continue the policy and wait? Personally, I believe that is the wisest course at the moment. The security plan must adapt to the situations and places where it is not currently working, but I have no doubts that General Petraeus is the man that could accomplish that.
As for the rest of the equation, political progress and reconciliation, that takes times. Our own nation took 10 years to go from the Articles of Confederation to adopting the Constitution. It took 3 more years for the states to ratify the Constitution. And even with that, we are 2 centuries on, and we’re still making or proposing amendments to the Constitution.