Losing?

I heard Murtha today talking about how poorly we're doing in Iraq. I've been hearing for months that we're doing terribly. We're LOSING!!

I keep thinking, "Wait a damned minute..." The "insurgents" do seem to be persistent bastards, but am I the only one who thinks they're actually pretty pathetic? Terrorism itself is pathetic because it is intellectually (and spiritually) vacant, but when you are trying to be the bad-ass in town and your best shots are trying to kill as many unarmed, innocent civilians as possible... that's really pathetic.

Every military engagement ends in massive killing and capturing of the insurgents, and few US casualties. The Iraqis seem to be winning in confrontations too. Speaking of which, ever more of them are taking the lead in operations.

The Iraqis are making tremendous strides (because of the work of our troops and the administration) in forming a democratically elected government in an amazingly short period of time. In a month they'll have a government. Obviously, to anyone with any sense of perspective, there will be fits and starts and it will take time for it to get up and running, but it's a miracle it's there at all considering what was there in 2002.

The vast majority of Iraq is pacified. The areas that aren't are dominated by people who were part of a minority that held power, and that viciously dominated the majority, and they don't like that any power they will get will have to be earned and that there may be a price to pay for their willing participation in the tyrannical Saddam regime. Also, there are some people that are dead set against a democracy in the heart of the middle east. They don't WANT to see a free and flourishing Iraq, because it disrupts their power base. If free people (Arabs... Muslims) in a free market are successful, what does that say about their "blame America and Israel for your terrible lot in life" sales pitch? What does that say to the masses in Iran and Syria and other countries about their own governments? So, yeah, they are a problem. But, as the political process keeps moving forward, and more Sunnis see that the tide is coming in whether they want it to or not, so they might as well participate, the insurgency will have less and less ground to stand on.

Apparently, in most of the country, the economy is beginning to flourish. Even in Baghdad I've seen reports that new shops are opening and more business is being done. Surely, people will see that security will attract investment, and as the tide continues moving inexhorably in, they will continue to take more and more responsibility for keeping insurgents out of their neighborhoods. Just today, in Mosul, a gathering of top Al Qaeda leaders (possibly including Zarqawi) was targeted by US and Iraqi troops due to a tip from an Iraqi civilian. They're catching on!

I don't see how all of this positive news, and more, much more in terms of building schools, building hospitals, re-building and improving worn down infrastructure, getting and keeping the oil flowing (oil that will belong to Iraqis!), etc., gets translated into "we're losing".

Yes, we've lost 2,100 people. Way too many Iraqis have died (not at OUR hand, but at the hand of the terrorists). Many of our bravest have been wounded. All of that is true. But, in historical terms, the casualties are incredibly low. We're talking about an operation that toppled a horrendously dangerous dictatorial regime, and is putting a democracy in its place in the middle of a region where authoritarian rule is all they know, and has been suppressing the people for generations. That is HUGE! That as few have been killed and wounded as there has been is an immense tribute to the quality of our military.

Yes... every loss is a tragedy. But we have to remember that there is a distinct possibility that if we'd just left it all alone, chances are very good that the combination of Saddam and his lust for WMD and his hatred of the US, and his support of terrorists could very well have led to far more death and disruption here than what our military has incurred there. 2,100 is a big number, but it's still smaller than the toll from 9/11. What would weaponized VX or anthrax in Times Square, or at the Rose Bowl, or in Tel Aviv cost in terms of life and economic damage?

Our military is winning, and they ARE keeping us safe at home because of what they're accomplshing there. It's time people stop saying we're losing.