[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

"As for Iraq, that's even more muddled. It certainly is true that Iraq is going poorly in many respects."

I'm really getting tired of hearing people regurgitate this mantra.

We conquered a 29-year dictator's army in 29 days. MOST of the country is rebuilt or in the process -- new schools, hospitals. Work is rebounding. OF COURSE there are a few pockets of Ba'athists and terrorists from Syria and Iran. But that is far and away isolated and we are weeding them out.

It took our country over two years to debate and decide upon the Constitution. They think a country that was as oppressed and abused as Iraq is going to be fixed in a year or two?

Whether Iraq is muddled is a matter of personal perspective and hinges on what one can realistically expect. I, for one, think things are going well in Iraq considering the Herculean goal we set, the difficult obstacles, and how much success we've had.

[Mr. Silverback]

I'm really getting tired of hearing people regurgitate this mantra.

Me too. I mean, for Pete's sake, we'll probably have Fallujah cleaned out by Election Day! What the heck do these people want? How come none of the people who call Iraq "chaos caused by George Bush" ever call bus bombings in Israel "chaos caused by Yasser Arafat"?