There is opinion and reality, a lot of people tend to confuse them. One of those people however is not Tom Switzer:
WHETHER it was worth doing remains highly doubtful, and how it will end remains to be seen. But it looks as if the US is achieving some kind of success in Iraq. That is quite a mouthful from someone who strongly opposed the war from the outset.
But these are the facts: Coalition military and Iraqi civilian casualties are down significantly. The level of violence is the lowest in six years. Iraq’s economic growth levels are today nearly one-third higher than under Saddam Hussein. The Sadrist militia and other Shia militant groups have been halted. The Sunni Arabs who once formed the heart of the Iraqi insurgency are among the most steadfast coalition allies in the battle against al-Qa’ida. The sectarian civil war has ended.
Note that this doesn’t effect his opinion on the war itself:
Now I’ve long believed the Iraq invasion was unnecessary. The incompetence of president George W. Bush, and in particular the neo-conservative architects of this misbegotten venture – which has cost the US dearly in not just blood and treasure but also prestige and credibility – merely adds underlining and an exclamation point. Any threat that Saddam posed could have been dealt with via the tried and tested policy of containment (UN sanctions, naval blockade, no-fly zone).
I think that opinion is dead wrong but it is an opinion that a reasonable person can hold. Yet he doesn’t allow that opinion to change his perception of facts on the ground.
The final line says it all.
… for now, as the largely violence-free weekend elections demonstrated, the situation on the ground has improved dramatically. Too bad many opponents of the war won’t concede that simple fact.
One who can see how things are is worthy of respect.
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