[Allegra]

How can we possibly expect people to believe any differently when this is precisely how our government has portrayed warfare ever since the first Gulf War (or even sooner -- in Grenada and Panama)?

I distinctly recall President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld, among others, warning that this would take a long time and that they knew people would end up getting discouraged. It was said on many occasions.

I believe differently. So do several others on this thread. Is there something wrong with us, or are we just immune to media spin because we can see right through it?

[Alberta's Child]

I distinctly recall President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld, among others, warning that this would take a long time and that they knew people would end up getting discouraged. It was said on many occasions.

That's a standard line in any kind of military effort, for two reasons: 1) it makes no sense to raise peoples' expectations by predicting a quick, easy victory in any situation; and 2) a government has no choice but to use this approach when it has no clue about what lies ahead.