You're absolutely right. One only needs to go to this previous FR post: Mistaken Wartime Predictions from the Punditry
Thanks for that link! I forgot some of that stuff, though I remember the predictions of Afghanistan being our 'next Viet Nam' very well. The media has already started predicting that maybe IRAQ will be our next Viet Nam. Rummy had it right when he said the media was looking for instant gratification. They didn't get their shockanawe. At least they didn't get as much shockanawe as they had hyped (a BBC reporter actualy apologized for that, Saturday, I think) so now they want their 'next Viet Nam'.
In fact, they're DESPERATE for another Viet Nam. Too desperate.
I like THIS one:
DANIEL SCHORR, NPR, 10/27/01: "Well, I don't know how long this was supposed to take, but it's certainly going a lot worse than was expected. . . . This is a war in trouble."
HEHEHEH. The author got it wrong though : sure they screwed up the last time, but they're just repeating the same predictions this time, with only the names changed.