| First, it should be mentioned that there was no trend, the numbers receded after April. Second, what I said then, anticipating a fight, applies now that the operation has been launched. Third, there has been a fight, and it is not finished, so the war is on. Fourth, however much the public has misgivings about Iraq, Bush won, and his policy has not been repudiated. Fifth, we barely had any troops in country during those low points, because we were just beginning to phase them in, or in the process of phasing them out, in Vietnam in '64 and '72. Sixth, Afghanistan demonstrated that a credible election can take place without a perfect security situation. Seventh, a lot of our Iraqi allies performed well on the field of battle, though there were some disappointments. Thus, it looks like our basic policy is on track. |
