Missing the Point of the New Strategy in Iraq
BY Herschel Smith
19 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.
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.