. . . or so we are told.
Perhaps the worst day for coalition forces in Iraq comes on the heels of a Baghdad news conference JUST YESTERDAY at which Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr. commander of the 82nd Airborne, said his soldiers have "turned the corner" - WP January 7, 2004.
This is certainly not the first time we have heard this phrase used with reference to Iraq. Take a look below at how this tired cliche just refuses to die.
And then think about this: If we keep turning the same corners, don't we just end up going around and around the same block? Or is it that you can't turn a corner when you're IN one?
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US Officials, Soldiers, and Advisors just LOVE to Turn a Corner:
HEADLINE: NEW YEAR'S DAY BOMB FIVE KILLED IN BAGHDAD
January 1, 2004
This is one of the nicer restaurants in Baghdad and it was a popular spot with foreigners in part because it's one of the few places in town that serves alcohol. Last night's attack came at a time when coalition officials were cautiously beginning to feel that they had turned a corner here in Iraq. And needless to say, this does not begin the new year on a very good note.
HEADLINE: Hussein Arrest Yields Details on Resistance; Detention of Insurgents Rises, U.S. Commander Says
The Washington Post December 18, 2003
Abizaid, Odierno and Petraeus spoke to reporters traveling with Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is touring the region. The generals emphasized that much work still needs to be done to defeat the Iraqi resistance but also gave the strong impression that they believed a corner had been turned after months of trying to penetrate the networks of insurgents.
HEADLINE: Head of US Central Command says intelligence gains and counteroffensives are undermining Iraqi insurgency
National Public Radio (NPR) December 17, 2003
'I wish we'd had this armor a long time ago,' another soldier nearby adds. And as 130,000 American troops prepare to spend their first Christmas in Iraq, some of their commanders believe they have turned the corner in the fight against guerrillas who've kept Iraq a battle zone eight months after the president declared an end to major combat.
HEADLINE: Loren Thompson discusses what the capture of Saddam Hussein means to US military and security efforts inside Iraq
National Public Radio (NPR) December 14, 2003
Loren Thompson teaches military strategy and technology at Georgetown University. He also runs the Defense Project at the Lexington Institute: "The resistance in the Sunni triangle for the most part is going to be demoralized. I think that for the general Iraqi populace, it will be the turning of a corner. Many people who feared that Saddam was going to come back now realize that he is gone for good. It may not substantially change the geopolitical situation on the ground, but in terms of the atmosphere, it's a turning point."
HEADLINE: World reaction to the capture of Saddam Hussein
National Public Radio (NPR) December 14, 2003
CONAN: Anne, you've told us earlier this hour that, you know, 'Be careful. We don't know the meaning of this yet,' but it's certainly the opportunity to at least describe this, as Colonel Anderson says, as turning a corner.
HEADLINE: Blueprint for a Mess
The New York Times, November 2, 2003
The Bush administration fiercely denies that this "alarmist" view accurately reflects Iraqi reality. It insists that the positive account it has been putting forward is the real truth and that the largely downbeat account in much of the press is both inaccurate and unduly despairing. The corner has been turned, administration officials repeat.
HEADLINE: U.S. Forces Press Attack Against Iraqi Resistance; Technology Used to Find Enemy, Arms
Washington Post October 26, 2003
"Right now, I feel confident we're turning the corner,"(Col. Hickey, the 1st Brigade commander) said. "I can show you the trends. You can say I'm not using the right metrics. But I'm here to tell you, the enemy is just not having a good day."
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The Brits are typically more reserved, but still on board:
HEADLINE: Once Skeptical, Briton Sees Iraqi Success
The New York Times, December 24, 2003
At times (Maj. Gen. Graeme Lamb, a 50-year-old Briton,commander of an 11-nation contingent of 13,000 troops, based in Basra) tempered his enthusiasm. "I sense that we're well in the corner," he said. "We haven't turned the corner-- this is a huge undertaking -- but we are moving forward."
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And of Course, the Editorial Pages also love the Corners:
HEADLINE: A New Year in Iraq
The Washington Post January 4, 2004
The coming year could bring new progress and see the U.S. mission turn the corner toward success -- but it could also see Iraq's unraveling and a foreign policy catastrophe for the United States.
HEADLINE: A new year in Iraq
The Times (London) January 1, 2004
Saddam's ignominious surrender last month to American forces destroyed his aura of invincibility, along with the reputation for personal courage that he had cultivated with at least equal care. This is a corner decisively turned . . .
HEADLINE: The American way of war
The Jerusalem Post December 26, 2003
Coalition forces still face an active guerrilla war, but the recent capture of Saddam Hussein indicates that the corner has been turned in that phase of the war as well.
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And finally, lest we forget that OTHER war:
CNN: ON THE STORY
10:00 November 29, 2003
The feeling here (Afghanistan) is that they have really turned a corner in that the anti-coalition forces, Taliban and al Qaeda, are not able to regroup in this country on a very strategic scale, large numbers, if you will. They are running into pockets of resistance, but they continue to be relatively small.
