The Bush administration has made claims only to reinterpret them later. Notably claims about how long the war would take and how Iraq's oil would pay for reconstruction.
The media should demand Bush provide yardsticks for what success will look like in one year.
What quantifiable measures should be used for determining if the occupation is a success?
Should we use casualties of US servicemembers?
Should we use crime rates?
Should we use polling of Iraqis? What questions?
How far along should Iraq be to self-government?
What milestones do you think should be used for measuring success/failure in Iraq?
How can we get the media to focus on specific milestones instead of moving from Bush spin to Bush spin?