While talking head political spinmeisters such as Bill Kristol are allowed to dominate the airwaves, far too little attention is paid to the two of the key groups who actually know what is going on in Iraq, US soldiers and Iraqi civilians. It may startle some to discover that a group of US soldiers, who often find themselves shooting at, and being targeted by Iraqis, are far more sensitive and tuned in to the concerns of the Iraqi people than those who set US policy. This quote from the soldiers sums up their analysis: To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. Another ominous point is the use to which some US training and weapons have be used: against US troops and potentially enabling the very Iraqi to Iraqi violence are troops are said to be there to quell.