The emails have only just begun to arrive, but already a reader has made a critical point:
The best gauge of terrorists’ success is the response of the general population; for example, Afghanistan’s successful election is a resounding defeat for al Qaeda and the Taliban. A simple number of Iraqi deaths, similarly, doesn’t exactly paint a portrait of success or failure. How are the Iraqis themselves responding? They’re becoming more and more involved in their new country. That’s the last thing the Ba’athists or Khomeinists could possibly want.