Honestly, this is a socialist question. The capitalist answer is that only Americans can build America and only Iraqis can build Iraq.Originally Posted by RTK
If I were a Democratic spin doctor I'd call Iraq "the largest failed welfare experiment in history."
As a marketer, I deal with this all the time. That's why I like the Powell doctrine. It allowed you to employ your unique skills without having to worry about anyone's opinion, but if you want to get into the hearts and minds business - and you want to be effective - you need to accept that opinions don't match facts and facts don't always change opinions.
American body count might be the worst possible metric, but none the less it's what most of the public cares about. (And really, the fact that people care whether you live or die isn't the worst thing in the world.)
If people stop listening to the president it really doesn't matter if you think he's a great leader. People have stopped listening. (For that matter, it really doesn't matter whether John Kerry deserved his medals or not.) The Iraq war has been "swift boated." Ironically, not by the left, but by the people who said "WMDs" "greeted as liberators," "Iraqi oil will pay for it" "mission accomplished" "dead enders." They've lost their credibility.
Final point. As a marketer I'm 99.99% sure that no much how much better things get under President Hillary,, you're never going to become a Democrat. Some people might think that doesn't make sense, but it wouldn't make any difference. You'd still be who your are. That's your right. If you honestly accept how difficult it would be for an Iraqi to change your opinion, you might be able to have more realistic hearts and minds objectives during your next tour, and you just might be more successful. (Thought it's much more likely that you'll ignore everything I say, because you have preconceived opinions about the most valuable sources of information, and some marketing guy on the net isn't one of them.
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