No Final Exam, But Lots of Pop Quizzes

In his new On Point column, Austin Bay grades the Coalition postwar effort:

Gauging success in war –as the battle progresses — is iffy, more art than science. Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) is military jargon for assessing an operation’s success. After an air strike, the USAF conducts Bomb Damage Assessment. The basic metric: Is the target smashed? If the target is a bunker and the recon photo reveals concrete chunks and a hole, good job. If the target is the command team in the bunker (e.g., Saddam), then it may take many uncertain months to score the attack.

So how does he grade us? You’ll have to read the whole thing.