“We have a son in Baghdad. He is a West Point grad and career US Army officer. He recently sent us an email that reads exactly like your column. I wrote a letter to the editor of our local paper (owned by the NYT) criticizing an editorial calling Iraq a ‘quagmire.’ Send me an email address and I will share the nasty editorial and my response with you. Lordy, Cliff, where are these journalists coming from?”
– Alan G. Pankratz
The column, to which Mr. Pankratz refers, observers that our enemies in Iraq have never won a battle against American forces. It asks why is there nonetheless a debate over who is winning. And it tries this answer: Our enemies in Iraq are not aiming for a military victory. They are aiming for a psychological victory, to be followed by a political victory. By littering the streets of Iraq with bodies, they mean to demoralize Americans and cause politicians in Washington to begin to accept the prospect of retreat and defeat. It’s here.