I thought this might be of some interest:

http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/iraq/articles/20070620.aspx

Everyone but a few diehards has turned to our side. The diehards are people likely to be arrested and executed for war crimes, so they are likely to fight to the bitter end -- but they have lost their allies and their power is waning fast.

The article then notes that so far Iraq's government has been shaky and incompetent. It points out that this is not new, but it has to change. Hopefully it will as the Iraqis get more experienced with democracy.

Most people underestimate the dismal state of the middle east, but I think giving up on it is a mistake, and President Bush will be seen by history as someone who did his best to foster genuine change and growth in the region, instead of just accepting things as they were.

That may lead to better lives for millions of people. The short term cost looks high, because it's on our TV screens every night. But even more people were murdered by Saddam's brutal regime. Even though it doesn't look like it to us, life in Iraq has been improving, slowly but steadily.

D

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