Monday, August 20, 2007

Hearts and Minds

Every day we hear new reports from some officer, general or otherwise, some politician, some DoD or Executive Branch spokesperson who speaks as though he or she has some great insight as to the situation in Iraq. That's all fine and good, but as many (including me) have said before, these people aren't the ones on the ground in Iraq. To get a better picture of what the soldiers in the field think and see, it doesn't help to have DoD PR release statements and PR interviews that are selected and screened. The best way to do it is to hear soldiers speak candidly, as these Specialists and Sergeants did recently. (Hat Tip, Vim and Vinegar)

It's easy to see how people will be able to point to things and say "these are just democrat talking points," except, the information is gleaned firsthand, from the field, from those who speak with and see the situation in Iraq. The quote people with whom they've spoken ("we need security, not free food"). They see history being repeated (a la 1920), not being rewritten. In other words, these are people who know the story and who share their opinions (and at risk to their careers, for putting it on an op-ed with their names on it), and that is what the people need to hear.

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