Al-Qaida knows the surge is working. They no longer have a safe haven in Anbar province; they're on the run.
-- President Bush, speaking in Las Vegas
The new strategy clearly is succeeding. The surge is working. The forces of freedom are winning.
-- Vice President Cheney, speaking in Charlotte, North Carolina
Take up the lotus position and chant, "The surge is working. The surge is working. The surge is working. The surge is working..." until your mind is clear of any other thoughts. This is how you reach war monger enlightenment. Michael Duffy of TIME magazine seems like a hawk bodhisattva. When writing about how well things are going in Iraq, the article title isn't "Why the Surge is Working," it's "Why the Surge Worked." The war in Iraq is, apparently, over. Peace reigns and the only reason we still have troops there is that it's really, really nice and they don't want to leave.
Actually, he doesn't go quite that far. In fact, reading through the piece, you get the feeling that the title was forced on him by his editor. He writes of progress coming "slowly, unevenly—and only with a lot of well-armed help." An Iraqi shopkeeper tells him, "Things are improving slightly. But not as much as we hoped." He warns -- contrary to the title -- that the triumphalism of Republican presidential candidates may be a tiny bit premature...
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