CLUELESS IN JULY 2003, 4 YEARS AGO

A little over 4 years, the (OUR) military was crowing about being on the verge of "winning" in Iraq.

U.S. Adopts Aggressive Tactics on Iraqi Fighters
Intensified Offensive Leads To Detentions, Intelligence
By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 28, 2003; Page A01

"During Peninsula Strike, we worked very hard for every combat action to have a 'carrot' that followed," MacEwen said. "We'd do a cordon and search in one area, and then make sure the next day that LPG [cooking gas] was available, or that a pump at a water plant was working."

The efforts aren't just aimed at winning hearts and minds, but also at gaining intelligence. "When you're out doing the civil affairs operations, you get a lot of people coming up and giving you good information," said Maj. David Vacchi, the operations officer for a battalion operating just northeast of Baghdad.

Senior U.S. commanders here are so confident about their recent successes that they have begun debating whether victory is in sight. "I think we're at the hump" now, a senior Central Command official said. "I think we could be over the hump fairly quickly" -- possibly within a couple of months, he added.

Hogg [Col. David Hogg, commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division], whose troops are still engaged in combat every day, agreed. "I think we're fixing to turn the corner," he said Thursday. "I think the operations over the next couple of weeks will get us there."