Black Box Report

As lawmakers in Washington heard a crucial report on the troop surge in Iraq, a new ABC News poll reports discouraging news. The survey of 2200 Iraqis finds a large majority takes a damning view of the troop increase. In Baghdad, and even in Anbar, a stunning review: responses about the surge were 100-percent negative.

So Iraqi and American hearts and minds are not behind the war. And who in their right mind can blame them? By every indicator, every promise hasn't been met, every goal unachieved. The palpable skepticism on Capitol Hill, the frustration of the American public and the despondence of the Iraqis leads many to be angry. Last night, however, I found myself depressed.

If any of you get the opportunity to see the HBO special Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, you'll see profiles in courage of 10 new veterans back from Iraq, a handful of the 25,000 Americans wounded there.

Our administration doesn't deserve these soldiers.

The thought that stuck with me when the credits rolled was, “what a waste.” Beyond the more then 3,700 dead and all those injured, look around the globe. Somehow, since 9/11, we've gone from "we are all Americans" to an international punch line. Somehow, Afghanistan and Pakistan are as bad - if not worse - than before. Somehow, a picture of our president serves as the greatest recruitment tool for terrorists. Somehow, he has turned a collapsed statue of a tyrant into a symbol, for some Iraqis, of nostalgia.

We will continue to talk about Petraeus and his testimony - but as I heard his words, I kept thinking about what might have been, and what a waste of an opportunity our leaders have made.