"The war you're not reading about?" Of course, we've been reading about this war for years, and hearing for years that progress is being made, and hearing the media just isn't reporting the "good part." But John McCain wants us to read, again, about "the war we're not reading about," complete with familiar phrases about high stakes and positive signs, "cautious optimism," the "complete picture" and of course, the "new strategy."
Apparently, McCain still wants us to believe that HE saw a broad, complete, detailed view of Iraq on his visit. The market he visited "still faces occasional sniper attacks," that's all! Take away the cars and voila -- no car bombs! Problem solved! :eyes:
And the "new strategy?" "(S)eparating the reconcilable population from the irreconcilable and creating enough security to facilitate the political and economic solutions that are the only way to defeat insurgents." Oh -- simple! Define, identify, separate and group people, create security (never thought of that!), and THAT facilitates the political and economic solutions which will just work out because... because... well, they just will. (The new plan sounds a lot like the old plan.)
The best part: he ends by reminding us that "this is not a moment for partisan gamesmanship or for one-sided reporting. The stakes are just too high." Yeah. He's telling us.
Here are the first four paragraphs of McCain's "straight talk" (straight from Rove's desk):
The War You're Not Reading About
By John McCain
Sunday, April 8, 2007; Page B07
I just returned from my fifth visit to Iraq since 2003 -- and my first since Gen. David Petraeus's new strategy has started taking effect. For the first time, our delegation was able to drive, not use helicopters, from the airport to downtown Baghdad. For the first time, we met with Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar province who are working with American and Iraqi forces to combat al-Qaeda. For the first time, we visited Iraqi and American forces deployed in a joint security station in Baghdad -- an integral part of the new strategy. We held a news conference to discuss what we saw: positive signs, underreported in the United States, that are reason for cautious optimism.
I observed that our delegation "stopped at a local market, where we spent well over an hour, shopping and talking with the local people, getting their views and ideas about different issues of the day." Markets in Baghdad have faced devastating terrorist attacks. A car bombing at Shorja in February, for example, killed 137 people. Today the market still faces occasional sniper attacks, but it is safer than it used to be. One innovation of the new strategy is closing markets to vehicles, thereby precluding car bombs that kill so many and garner so much media attention. Petraeus understandably wanted us to see this development.
I went to Iraq to gain a firsthand view of the progress in this difficult war, not to celebrate any victories. No one has been more critical of sunny progress reports that defied realities in Iraq. In 2003, after my first visit, I argued for more troops to provide the security necessary for political development. I disagreed with statements characterizing the insurgency as a "few dead-enders" or being in its "last throes." I repeatedly criticized the previous search-and-destroy strategy and argued for a counterinsurgency approach: separating the reconcilable population from the irreconcilable and creating enough security to facilitate the political and economic solutions that are the only way to defeat insurgents. This is exactly the course that Petraeus and the brave men and women of the American military are pursuing.
The new political-military strategy is beginning to show results. But most Americans are not aware because much of the media are not reporting it or devote far more attention to car bombs and mortar attacks that reveal little about the strategic direction of the war. I am not saying that bad news should not be reported or that horrific terrorist attacks are not newsworthy. But news coverage should also include evidence of progress. Whether Americans choose to support or oppose our efforts in Iraq, I hope they could make their decision based on as complete a picture of the situation in Iraq as is possible to report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/06/AR2007040601781.html
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