NPR seems to have regained a sense of balance, to judge by what they've been reporting of late. Here's an example.
Listening to "Morning Edition" today, December 2, I heard an interview with retired Lt. Gen. William Odom, who said that the situation, if we leave, will be no different than if we stay, or if we leave 10 years from now -- chaos in any case. He saw the outcome of our "grand effort" as being Kurdish militias and Kurd rule in their area, an Iranian-backed Islamic theocracy in the Shiite parts of the country, and a secular Sunni area where the Sunnis hold sway.
He saw, in fact, the eradication of al Qaeda in Iraq once we're gone, because none of the indigenous groups has any use for them -- the Shiites and Kurds don't want them, and the Sunnis will break ties to them once there are no occupying US forces to fight.
Odom said that our grand vision, of a secular democracy in a region that has no tradition of popular rule, cannot be accomplished in the short term, and never could have been accomplished by invading the country.
Go, have a listen:
http://www.npr.org/...
Ed Drone