Iraq Articles

The first article I found is Report: US No Closer to Iraq Goals. In it, the arguement is made that we cannot simply pull out of Iraq because it could cause massive chaos and maybe even genocide. The article is reviewing a report by a US think tank. The report mentioned the growth of security and build up of troops but said that it could have to do with factors that we couldn't predict such as a truce and others turning against al-Qaida. They suggested that it could take up to ten years for lasting political development and complete dedication to the cause by American soilers. They are saying that some things have been done but there is still a lot that needs to be done to achieve our goals. They suggest that we focus on improving certain asspects in their economy and politics so that we can get out quicker. If there is no political improvement we will be stuck there even longer.

The second one is Sustaining Troop Numbers in Iraq. This article talked about the plans of presidential candidates in the upcoming election. It mentioned suggestions by the US commander in Iraq, saying that the reducing of the amount of troops in Iraq wouldn't be beneficial to what they have accomplished thus far. If they withdrawl troops it would be like they were undoing what has already been done. Both Hillary and Barack agree to withdrawl troops but McCain wants to leave them so that they can continue doing what they are doing.

I think that the points in the articles are different. Both talk about what we are acheieving (or not acheiving) in Iraq by the amount of soilders we do or do not have over there. They take different stands on the issue and bring up valid points. The second article seems to be mainly about the current presidential candidates plans than the actual issue. I felt that these were interesting because you never know what the candidate will actually do once into office. Also, it's really hard once in a war to figure out where to go next. How do you know that you've reached your goal? Is there really even a winner in war? There are casualties on both sides and sometimes it seems as though nothing has changed, or at least not in the way we had planned. It's hard to estimate what our actions will change and in what ways. I didn't notice any specific bias in the aritcles based on where they are from or anything like that. I think that it depends because one is talking about the candidates while the other is talking about our accomplishments.

Sources:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004331323_apiraqnocloser.html?syndication=rss

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3695416.ece