Reports on Iraq

The Associated Press and CNN both put out articles concerning new reports on the war. The article from The Associated Press talks about how the U.S. is no closer to ending the war than it was a year ago, and an immediate withdrawl of our military will just make problems worse. Withdrawl may lead to severe disorder and the possibility of genocide. The report was issued by experts working for the U.S. Institute of Peace. The report also stated there is improvement since the buildup of our troops in 2007, a truce between Shiite militia, and Sunni fighters turning against al-Qaida. Some political goals have been reached in Iraq, and the U.S. needs to continue to improve the political and economical conditions. The article claims that if we do withdraw from Iraq, we will need a strong presence in neighboring countries, ready to go back in to the country if there is severe chaos or genocide.
The Article from CNNPolitics.com states that many Democratic senators feel the reports are "too rosy" and the troop buildup in Iraq is not reaching its goals. "In my judgment, it's too rosy, but there are parts of it that are not so rosy, and both pieces need to be declassified," Sen. Carl Levin said. On the other hand, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee said that the Democrats are complaining because they do not like the report. "Old adage from the Midwest: When you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, you know who's been hit by who hollers," said Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri. "All I can say is, the people who are bitching obviously didn't like the results. I happen to have confidence in the analysis that's now being conducted." The Democrats feel that the report is misleading because it does not make a big deal about the violence on the ground. Overall, the Democrats are not backing the reports mainly because they feel the information is not useful or it is sending out the wrong message. Most Democrats are giving negative comments, but some have acknowledged that there have been security and political improvements.
Both these articles give information on the new reports, but the CNN article gives the opinions of politicians. CNN gives opinions of Democrats AND Republicans and i feel that it makes it more interesting.

links:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jtt1wEGUxFUfwG_9vziyFmtQItMwD8VSGV700

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/04/nie.iraq/?iref=mpstoryview