"going better than expected"

[rqstnnlitnmnt]

seems we've heard the phrase from everyone from scarwhorough to condi...


don't you get the feeling they would have said that no matter *what* happened?

they knew sunnis wouldn't vote, and they knew in at least the kurd areas the polling stations would be relatively violence free.

even if 100s of people had died (and we'll never know the real number since we're relying on US military and iraqi "officials"), wouldn't they have said "it's going better than expected -- we thought it would be much worse"

just a thought as I sift through the garbage that is today's NYT -- complete with front page photo of the streets "Full of kids playing soccer" -- funny, I only see two.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. I don't watch TV

but from looking at the wire services photos, I have seen no pictures yet from Baghdad or the Sunni Triangle.

[Goldeneye]

2. We should've known.

They've been down playing the election all week....lowering expectations. Now all they have to do is say "better than expected" over and over and over and over again and it will come off as a glorious success.

[rqstnnlitnmnt]

3. right, even the MSM played along

Please, all night election coverage, reporters stationed all over Iraq...

They framed it as some event that must be monitored minute by minute, live updates from every journalist, instant pundit coverage.

Why wasn't the MSM showing montages of patriotic Iraqi symbols? Why was it instead the war music and red and orange graphics.

These people know *Exactly* what they're doing -- why do you think there are psychologists that work in this industry?

[epinephrine384]

4. Iraqi's are a whole lot

braver than I am!