While each day brings more Sunni vs. Shiite violence in Iraq, the debate goes on as to whether or not we can win in Iraq. Victor Davis Hanson, recently returned from Iraq, says again that we are winning in Iraq, but may be losing at home. Contrast his view with that of Robert Dreyfuss, a left-wing writer, who sees Iraq on the verge of civil war and the Bush-Cheney plan for Iraq on the verge of failure. Read both pieces in their entirety and you get an absolutely opposite sense of what is happening in Iraq. Finally, read LTC Ralph Peters, USA (Ret.), writing in the New York Post. He is in Iraq, and says the reporting done by our MSM is dishonest.

THE reporting out of Baghdad continues to be hysterical and dishonest. There is no civil war in the streets. None. Period.

Terrorism, yes. Civil war, no. Clear enough?

Yesterday, I crisscrossed Baghdad, visiting communities on both banks of the Tigris and logging at least 25 miles on the streets. With the weekend curfew lifted, I saw traffic jams, booming business and everyday life in abundance.

Yes, there were bombings yesterday. The terrorists won't give up on their dream of sectional strife, and know they can count on allies in the media as long as they keep the images of carnage coming. They'll keep on bombing. But Baghdad isn't London during the Blitz, and certainly not New York on 9/11.

Unfortunately for the President, while Peters is almost certainly correct, most of the American people still get their news from the MSM. This explains, in part, his falling poll numbers. I would point out, however, that the latest NYT/CBS News poll, which shows the President's job approval at 34% and his personal approval at a dismal 28% seems out of line with other polls. Check out the latest personal favorability numbers at Polling Report. Check out this cogent analysis of the NYT/CBS poll, which delves into some of the reasons why the poll doesn't fit with the others.

Even after reviewing the analysis (and I agree with it), I am still very concerned that the GOP will face a crushing defeat in November. If the Democrats can put together a "Contract with America"-style manifesto, which should include troop withdrawals from Iraq, beefed up border security, lobbying reforms in Washington and other populist items, then they might be able to reverse the 1994 tsunami that forced them from power. Still, these are Democrats, after all. They are not known for unity and discipline, the key factors in that 1994 GOP win.