It bothers me that Yon is held up as such as useful journalist to America winning the war on terror.
Yon's reporting displays a basic bias that we are not able to win. He judges us doomed in Afghanistan and failed in Iraq.
Both of these judgements are wrong and nothing anyone says by way of empirical evidence changes his judgment.
I do think he provides vivid accurate snapshots of incidents. He is incapable or unwilling to connect the dots to say "success."
I reread his blog about how saddam was "checking" us in the great chess game of the Iraq war. Saddam is dead. His sons are dead. Zarqawi is dead.
Is there any chance that anyone, Yon, a Republican, or someone on Free Republic will give President Bush and our troops the heroic respect they deserve?
Nope.
Can we stop pretending that we are confused about Bush's popularity. Conservatives like back stabbing President Bush.
For heavens sake, when dear leader glorious President Reagan shot down a civilian airliner of Iran during hostilities, conservatives did not back stab such a plain blunder.
There is really nothing to compare to this and various blunders under Reagan. Yet we are all mandated to despise Bush and blame blame blame him.
When will this madness end.
Yon is far from the worst journalist in Iraq but he is not anything especially good.
Not only "success", but the greatest success in the history of the armed forces of The United States of America.
Sheesh, the power of PROPAGANDA!
The way we've squandered our initial successes in both theaters, I'd say he's right. Remember the treatment of a battalion commander, who having successfully performed his assignments during the move on Iraq then, as ordered, transformed his 700-person artillery battalion into infantry/MP footsloggers for patrold and residence searches, and did so without any fatalities among his unit, right up until the time that he was charged with a war crime and relieved of his command.
Both of these judgements are wrong and nothing anyone says by way of empirical evidence changes his judgment.
Could be Yon is noticing parallels with previous militarily successful counterinsurgencies [Algeria, Vietnam, Rhodesia] that became defeats via political sellouts. And he accurately sees another coming.