Even in the undistinguished history of right wing punditry on the war in Iraq, Charles "Sour" Krauthammer's latest syndicated piece has to place near the bottom. Entitled "The Surge: First Fruits," Charlie's cherry picking the "good news" again. The alleged abandonment of the al Qaeda by Sunni tribes in Anbar province, prompting "thousands" of Sunnis to appear at police recruiting stations, has Charlie saying "for the first time. . .a Sunni police force fighting essentially on our side." Whoa, Charlie! Anbar is a Sunni province, so it would make sense for their police to be Sunni. It would be groundbreaking if they were Shiite recruits. And they're on our side? That would be with the Shiite-controlled government? But the Shiites are gunning for the Sunnis. And they're both gunning for us. That's "progress"?
The exquisite timing of his column one day after the bombing of the Iraqi parliament and destruction of the Sarafiya Bridge in Baghdad tends to indicate that the fruit's not ready for picking. Unless you like it bitter. (photo: Charlie proclaiming "I can see progress in Iraq with my eyes closed")
