How are we as citizens supposed to know ?

[blues90]

If this so called surge is working or know anything about it . After all they can tell us anything and do especially if one is foolish enough to go by any news media .

We really don't know a damn thing , we only know if it comes out of bushs mouth it's a lie . Or it's a spin from anyother source .

We see Iraq a bit now however it's all daytime footage not at night when the worst seems to happen .

[Eric J in MN]

1. We have AP stories.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070329/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

"Shiite market bombings kill at least 122

By STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press Writer
Thu Mar 29, 6:11 PM ET

BAGHDAD - Five suicide bombers struck Shiite marketplaces in northeast Baghdad and a town north of the capital at nightfall Thursday, killing at least 122 people and wounding more than 150 in one of Iraq's deadliest days in years.

The savage attacks came as a new American ambassador began his first day on the job, and Senate Democrats ignored a veto threat and approved a bill to require President Bush to start withdrawing troops.

At least 178 people were killed or found dead Thursday, which marked the end of the seventh week of the latest U.S.-Iraqi military drive to curtail violence in Baghdad and surrounding regions."

[TwilightGardener]

2. Does it matter? Really?

[PerfectSage]

3. Everything you wanted to know about military strategy & BS ie Bush Surge

Two points of military theory are important here. First, a higher level dominates a lower. If you win on the tactical level but lose operationally, you lose. If you win on the tactical and operational levels but lose strategically – Germany's fate in both world wars—you still lose.

Second, in most wars, including Fourth Generation wars, success on higher levels is not merely additive. That is to say, you cannot win operationally or strategically just by adding up tactical victories. We tried to do that in Vietnam, and the Second Generation U.S. military still does not understand why it didn't work. In Second Generation theory, it is supposed to work, which is why we are trying it again in Iraq and Afghanistan, and again not understanding why we are losing.

If we consider the operational and strategic situations in Iraq, we can easily see why no amount of tactical success can save us. Strategically, we are fighting to support a Shiite regime closely aligned with Iran, our most potent local opponent. Every tactical success merely moves us closer to giving Iran a new ally in the form of a restored Iraqi state under Shiite domination. The more tactical successes we win, the worse our strategic situation gets. This flows not from any tactical failure (though there have been plenty of those), but from botching the strategic level from the outset. Saddam's Iraq was the main regional counterweight to Iran, which means we should not have attacked it.

http://www.d-n-i.net/index.html

The surge is BS to delay withdrawal until the next Dem/Pub president can "take the blame for losing the war".

[WinkyDink]

4. Same way we "know" anything about the Invasion since 2003: we don't.

[BlooInBloo]

5. It's complicated, so pay close attention: (1) Listen to what republicans say, (2) Take the opposite.