I was on NPR this morning discussing a number of topics with TIME’s Karen Tumulty, the Atlantic Monthly’s Jack Beatty and “On Point” host Tom Ashbrook. You can listen here.

One note: I don’t think it’s possible to overstate the value of Michael Yon’s reporting when it comes to refuting the argument that the U.S. military is doing more harm than good in Iraq. His compelling dispatches on the horror of life in parts of Iraq where al-Qaeda sects were briefly able to reign are must-reading for anyone trying to understand what we’re doing over there. I didn’t get a chance to credit Yon by name when drawing on some of his reports during the broadcast, so I’d like to do so here and encourage everyone to read his stuff.

UPDATE: The surgeons-general nonsense also came up during the discussion, and I didn’t get a chance to credit Ramesh’s great post from yesterday, but everyone should read that as well.