Who's Reeling Now?

clipped from www.powerlineblog.com That's the Associated Press's headline on this story by Robert Reid, who has been reporting from Iraq since 2003. It represents another milestone in mainstream media acknowledgement of the improving situation there. Reid writes: Signs are emerging that Iraq has reached a turning point. Violence is down, armed extremists are in disarray, government confidence is rising and sectarian communities are gearing up for a battle at the polls rather than slaughter in the streets. Reid praises Iraq's security forces: Shiite militiamen are reeling after military setbacks in Basra and Baghdad's Sadr City districts this spring. Note that the Iraqi government's successes in Baghdad and Basra were initially reported in the American press as disasters. Those early reports of failure were trumpeted by our media far louder than news of the ultimate success of the mission.