The Surge

Patrick Cockburn has a different take than McCain and company on the effects of the surge. Everybody acknowledges that violence has been down, but in Mosul there were 30 attacks per week in July, now there are 60 - 70. In Baghdad there were six car bombings in the past seven days. We still have 138,000 troops in Iraq. One in six Iraqis is a refugee and still without his home. Sectarian conflict is way down because the Shia control Baghdad. The influence of Iran is even stronger than it was before the surge.

But perhaps the biggest reason why so many Americans speak of the surge as a success is the cutback in reporting about the war. Americans are not getting killed, so things must be better. The show has gone on for over five years, longer than the two world wars. Isn't it over yet? Who's still interested in that old story, the media is not.

Brian Katulis etal point out that the basic goal of the surge - political reconciliation - has not been achieved. In fact, the surge may have made political reconciliation more difficult to achieve. The supplemental 2007 budget laid out 18 benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet. They have met four.

We need leaders who can accept reality. Until we do, we cannot change it.