Have we become detached from Iraq

Take these articles for what they are, nothing more:

http://www.spacewar.com/news/iraq-05zzzza.html
http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20051...3501-9601r.htm

I don't trust the premises of these documentaries. If you had read this article you would realize that no matter how graphic or realistic the coverage may seem, it is still subject to the concept of the blind men and the elephant (as described in the article).

I am not saying these documentaries are useless, but one should be wary of replacing one narrative of Iraq with some new and intriguing alternate narrative. There is, in fact, no one narrative at all, but thousands. I don't think we are very well served by preferring two or three narratives over one. Both options barely scratch the surface. It is a good start, but so too then is the second pebble tossed in a stream.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The Army National Guard is short 20,000 medium-weight trucks and 17,000 Humvees, two items on a long list of equipment that together will cost $21 billion.

Not buying the equipment is not an option, according to Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, the outspoken chief of the National Guard Bureau. After five years of war and decades of intentional underfunding of the National Guard in favor of the active duty military, the bill is due.

The Army has promised to find the money over the next five years, even as it contends with its own war and reorganization cost of more than $17 billion so far. Where the money will come from, absent an enormous boost from Congress -- which already allots the Pentagon more than $400 billion a year, plus about $100 billion annually in war costs -- is still unclear.

"We are struggling to find things to cut," Blum told UPI in an interview.

The bill for the 40,000 trucks and Humvees alone is $6.5 billion. It is currently slated to get only 7,200 additional vehicles by 2008, according to Guard budget documents.

Take these articles for what they are, nothing more:

http://www.spacewar.com/news/iraq-05zzzza.html
http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20051...3501-9601r.htm

The first article is from a real reporter, which is important in the context of the article. I could not track down the original location of the article, but the linked-to website appears to have reposted the original verbatim.

These are about a year old, but I think they still offer some valid viewpoints.

If you can read only one, read the first one. It is worth your time.

The current White House has been called the most secretive in modern history, and ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Martha Raddatz seconds that assessment. Raddatz talked about covering the Bush presidency and the war in Iraq on Oct. 5 at the Westminster Town Hall Forum in Minneapolis, Minn.

News & Notes, October 5, 2006 · How much is the United States spending to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan? That's a question that is often overlooked in the debate over U.S. involvement in these two countries.

Farai Chideya talks with Boston Globe reporter Bryan Bender about his reporting on the subject.

All Things Considered, October 7, 2006 · On Oct. 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces began a bombing campaign against Afghanistan's Taliban government in retaliation for its support of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. Five years later, the international community appears to be at a crossroads in the effort to rebuild Afghanistan as a democratic nation.

A key leader in that effort is Lt. Gen. David Richards of the United Kingdom. He heads NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a 20,000-person force drawn from 37 countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

Speaking to NPR's Jacki Lyden, Richards said NATO has proved its military strength against a resurgent Taliban. But the general also said that the Afghan government and international community must come through with reconstruction activities that benefit the general population if they are to win the war against the Taliban and other divisive forces in the country.

"This thing is going to be won or lost depending on the consent of the people of Afghanistan," Richards said. "What they want to see now is success in reconstruction and development, and that's what we've got to set about doing over this winter."

The NATO force, and 13 Provincial Reconstruction Teams, operate across Afghanistan in support of the country's elected government, headed by President Hamid Karzai.

"What have the Taliban got to offer? Nothing more than more misery," Richards said. "[They offer] no education, no education for women in particular, no reconstruction and development."

All Things Considered, October 7, 2001 · Jacki talks with Johns Hopkins University professor of anthropology and Afghan native Ashraf Ghani about the reaction to the day's events among Afghans who do not support the Taliban.

All Things Considered, September 25, 2006 · President Bush says he wants to stay the course in Iraq. NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr asks, "What course?"

Gen.: Afghanistan Victory Hangs on Rebuilding Effort
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=6210253
In the last paragraph - for these reasons, the Taliban cannot be allowed to regain power.