Sully Gets Optimistic Again
Tags:
I guess it depends on which set of data you focus on:
JUST A QUESTION: If someone had said in February 2003, that by June 2004, Saddam Hussein would have been removed from power and captured; that a diverse new government, including Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, would be installed; that elections would be scheduled for January 2005; and that the liberation of a devastated country of 25 million in which everyone owns an AK-47 had been accomplished with an army of around 140,000 with a total casualty rate (including accidents and friendly fire) of around 800; that no oil fields had been set aflame; no WMDs had been used; no mass refugee crises had emerged; and no civil war had broken out... well, I think you would come to the conclusion that the war had been an extraordinary success. And you'd be right. Yes, there are enormous challenges; and yes, so much more could have been achieved without incompetence, infighting and occasional inhumanity. But it's worth acknowledging that, with a little perspective, our current gloom is over-blown. Stocks in Iraq have been way over-sold. I even regret some minor sells myself. Now watch the media do all it can to accentuate the negative.
You didn't even link to the blog... First item in my search was actually a blog called "Sully Watch," which had a good bit:
"Perhaps you could turn this around (UPDATE: as he himself acknowledged by one of the emails he published). If you had told the American people in February 2003 that 15 months later well over 100,000 troops would still be in Iraq; that at least a couple would be dying each day; that many of them would have their deployments extended well beyond the time originally promised; that almost no WMDs would be found despite extensive searches; that the U.S., Britain and Australia would be practically alone in trying to keep things together; that Saddam would be in U.S. custody but without any measurable effect on the insurgency; that U.S. soldiers would be photographed smearing shit on and otherwise abusing detainees in one of Saddam’s most notorious prisons, and that the administration seemed not to have a clue how to deal with any of these problems, we think they would probably have seriously reassessed the war."
Posted by: O'dell on June 3, 2004 1:20 PM | permalinkOh yeah, and as for the "only 800" number pro-war types love, they leave out the thousands of Iraqi civilians killed. At the very least, it's important to note that (according to the Orlando Sentinel) 10,000 US troops have been injured. Many of them have sustained a loss of one or more limbs or other serious injury.
Posted by: O'dell on June 3, 2004 1:31 PM | permalinkYou're right; I'd only put it in the "cite" attribute of the "blockquote" tag.
Posted by: Joe Grossberg on June 3, 2004 2:02 PM | permalinkNo more comments! Either someone has violated Godwin's Law, I'm tired of the discussion or, most likely, the ten-week window has closed. You can, however, contact me through email.