If you're not reading NewsHoggers, you're missing out on some excellence in blogging.

I'm just saying.

For example, today's post about Iraq simply states some realities we, as a nation, hate to face up to:

The Washington Times Post editorial today writes that "the U.S.-backed government and army may be winning the war" in Iraq, following reports that the month of may saw the lowest US casualty count - 19 - since the beginning of the occupation. Iraqi civilian deaths are down from 2007 highs too - although only to 2005 levels that were sufficient to cause the collapse of Iraqi society - while recent high-profile offensives by the US military and the Iraqi security forces have enabled supporters of the occupation to claim exactly what the WaPo editors are, that the war is being won.

But the war ended in 2003. This is an occupation ,and an occupation is only won when the occupiers go home and the nation is at peace.

The trouble is going to be our collective conscience when we leave and the killing that is natural for a civil war continues in a lopsided fashion.

...but history being what history is, eventually more people will come to realize the truth:

There's a 'war' between Iraqi factions that still hasn't been decided. There's a proxy 'war' between Iran and the US that seems to be a draw with no end in sight so far. Both are part of a combined anarchy of occupation and civil strife that means Iraq as a whole will be traumatised for years to come. Let's not forget that these conflicts are in large part due to the quickly-won invasion and the botched first five years of the occupation. High fives are certainly not in order.

I can only imagine about what the future lunatic fringe will be saying about how the war was lost by the left, etc....