No need to exaggerate. In a low threat environment the A-10 can be an effective platform but it is also a magnet for IR MANPADS.
Certainly has it's weaknesses, but I bet that meat grinding cannon on the front has soiled more enemy robes than any gun in the history of man. In some ways, the A-10 has a design that gets into the enemies head and has avoided obsolescence much like the B-52.