John Burns on Iraq

I've been under the weather the past few days, but it has given me a chance to catch up a little on a few things I was unable to watch last week. One of these was a very interesting conversation by Charlie Rose with John Burns, chief New York Times correspondent in Iraq:

Burns has been in Iraq since before the invasion of Iraq, and you may recall his compelling reports via satellite phone from Baghdad after the war began. He is not only eloquent, but always insightful.

This is a vastly educational interview concerning the situation in Iraq and the possibilities for success versus the realities of the region.

There are many who would ask that critics of the war come up with a winning strategy. Listen to John Burns and understand that this is an unbelievably complex problem now, before scoffing at those who cannot present a path for success in Iraq. I think Burns is fair and accurate in his assessments, and that those who are calling for a decrease in U.S. troops in Iraq are simply recognizing that we are in a no-win situation all around.

No one wants failure in Iraq, but that has all but been guaranteed at this point due to what has happened so far. That's not defeatism, that's simply realism.