It's always nice when people who know what they're talking about mirror my thoughts, and Eden expresses what I was thinking far more eloquently than I could have, but two points.

One: I'd say that dropping a bomb on Khadfy's kid was a successful EBO: probably because he wasn't interested in adapting to continue the "fight."

Two, there are political benefits to EBO that are often overlooked. Imagine what people would've been saying about Clinton on 9/11 if he hadn't fired a missile at UBL. (If a Democrat wins and draws down troops in Iraq, I can pretty much guaranty that they'll drop bombs on someone/somewhere just so they aren't accused of being "soft.")

Quote Originally Posted by Eden View Post
Cavguy, one of the hardest things about COIN planning or execution - really the core of what you are struggling with, I feel - is how to measure progress.
Just my opinion, but I'm beginning to think that COIN is being asked to achieve the impossible. COIN can prevent a group from hijacking the political process, but I don't know if it can create "legitimacy" or force "compromise."

If it could, then the metrics would be evidence of legitimacy and/or compromise.