Yes it is sad.
And while things have changed for the better (surge, 20/20 hindsight and all
), "victory" is no longer elusive or unlikely in Iraq but probable. Unfortunately the "end state" won't be what it was once (unrealistically) hoped for but it could be a worthy end-state for the middle east.
Dave, the media has moved on to other things. Iraq is no longer sexy, it doesn't sell much. Any positive news there does not rate well compared to other issues.