Better?

As one of the people trying to be informed about what happens in Iraq, and a supporter of the mission, I think I've done my fair share of reading. To that end I've read the following books in the wake of 9/11.

• Fiasco
• The Man Who Warned America
• The Looming Tower
• America Alone
• Breakpoint
• The Pentagon's New Map

It was Fiasco however that told me the most about what I was wanting to know. How was the American army doing on the ground in Iraq and what could we learn? I've continually rejected the Baby Bin Laden Theory and I've continually said that we would get better in CT on the ground. That was because I understood from reading Fiasco that the generals in Iraq, especially Petraeus, would not leave lessons unlearned.

When I look at this chart, (numbers provided by Spook86), it says a lot about the kind of progress I have expected. It's not dramatic, but it's real and undeniable. The American military is proving itself adaptable to the conditions on the ground. This is what I always expected and I am glad we've had a President with the patience, if not the foresight, to see it through this far.