SPIN

SPIN: Reuters’ two lead headlines on the war: U.S. Troops Wonder Why They Aren’t in Baghdad Yet and US Wary of Urban War in Iraq.

The lead-in to the first piece is priceless:

They don’t think much of the view, they miss their families and they worry about getting killed.

A week after invading Iraq, some U.S. troops are wondering what happened to their hopes of a three-day race to Baghdad, waved on by the white flags of surrendering enemy soldiers.

“I feel like the longer I’m out here, the less are my chances of staying alive,” said U.S. Marine Lance-Corporal Michael Sanchez, staring with sullen eyes at a vista of withered roadside shrubs.

“Right here the odds are against us, we don’t know the terrain, we don’t know the people, we don’t know what they got coming for us,” he said, his 21-year-old face a picture of resentment.

I’m sure that Sanchez was chosen because his view is typical of Marines in the field, not because they matched those of the reporter.

Update: I posted these two stories on Command Post, as per their guidelines, sans commentary. The reviews are pouring in fast. Heh.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.