Beyond the headlines

The Strategy Page digs just a little deeper than Jennings and Brokaw:

Looming strategic success in Iraq runs counter to "if it bleeds it leads" headline coverage and commentary from Axis of Neville (Chamberlain) pundits. The headlines aren't false. Parts of Iraq are war zones, where fighting and dying continue. "Disarming" may take years. Saddam's filched billions and hidden weapons caches prop a flickering resistance. "Rearming" Iraq police is going too slowly.

Headlines, however, aren't the full story. Building goes on behind and around the bleeding, and that's the truly big news. Brick by brick creation isn't as sensational as bomb by bomb destruction, but brick by brick amounts to more. It's why in three years, give or take, Iraqis will have their own make-or-break chance to do something truly revolutionary -- run an Arab democracy.

The whole thing is here: StrategyPage.com