Overexaggerated? I need better rebuttal than that. If it ISN'T 95% or even close, why aren't people lining up to join the military to regain their country back? Why are they not turning over insurgents in large numbers? Why didn't they take up arms and immediately line up to kill off all Fedaheen right after the fall? It's not overexaggerated. Most of these nations in this region are full of status quo and complacent people. Only a small fraction actually fight and they fight other groups like them. You can't judge a voter percentage in turnout as how the people feel. Keep in mind the turnout rate was MUCH lower than was hoped for.
They are lining up to join the police and military - eventhough people are often killed in that process (hardly not caring). The news continually shows military recruits being the target of insurgents.
Voter turnout was still higher than in the US and a great peril to life and limb.
Insurgents have been turned in. Even Zarquawi was busted based on local intel.
We have been told time and time again that the Taliban is all but defeated. We have been told they were some minor and insignificant insect floating around in a small handful of villages. Now we see them resurging right under our noses. They've actually regained many areas of the countryside once bragged on as being secured.
The whole issue is a White House that has given out expectations that cannot be delivered. We've sunk billions into this deal and nothing to show for it.
Two points here - someone (or the administration) setting expectations doesn't mean those expectations are a reflection of reality. The administration has also continually stated this would be a long, protracted struggle - somehow those statements should shape expectations as well. I never expected this would be quick or that we would have completely eliminated the Taliban threat. Regardless, just because that's what you or others might expected it doesn't change the reality of what was doable and what has been achieved. You expected more to be achieved, it wasn't, your dissatisfied. It doesn't change the realities of what needed to be done (to remove the Taliban) and the progress that has been made.
Second point - again it is a gross exaggeration to say "we have nothing to show for it". Removal of 2 regimes, democratic elections, etc. You may not value these outcomes but they are positive outcomes.
It does NOT take that long to upgrade what has been promised to achieve in 1 year. And you cannot use the excuse of security concerns because even the area of Baghdad is still far behind all of this clean-up.
Not sure what your credentials are for assessing this. Rather than patch up the infrastructure, it is being completely rebuilt due to decades of neglect. Look at how long the Big Dig has been going on and it's still not done! Nobody is blowing up the work as it goes along.
Restoring these services is critical but so are so many of the other missions underway in Iraq.
Different conditions, politics, origins, economics, etc.
Which explains why different actions have been taken in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and N. Korea.
They (post-war efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts) are similar in the sense that the level of rebuilding and cultural change is monumental. To expect that to completely occur in the matter of a few years is once again an unrealistic expectation.
Overall, the failure of events to meet unrealistic expectations does not in and of itself constitute failure. When I refer to exaggerations it is based on this sentiment.
