Iraq War: How much "success" like this can we take?

How does a "credibility gap" happen?  This is one way.

Insurgent violence mounting in the north: Attacks on Mosul could disrupt area's oil production by Borzou Daragahi San Francisco Chronicle 11/12/04

U.S. military spokeswoman Capt. Angela Bowman rejected claims by some residents that parts of Mosul had fallen under insurgent control, saying that guerrillas "have not taken any parts of the city. The operations are still ongoing and probably will be for some time until we fully secure the city."

I'm sure some comma-dancing conservative could explain why it makes it makes perfect sense to say that guerrillas haven't "taken any parts of the city" but "operations" are "ongoing" to "fully secure the city."

What situation is Capt. Bowman describing?  This one:

Rebels spread chaos to Mosul by Richard Lloyd Parry Times of London 11/12/04.

Insurgent fighters seized key areas of the northern city of Mosul yesterday, raiding police stations, shelling US and Iraqi soldiers and threatening Iraq’s third-largest city with the same disorder that provoked the assault on Fallujah. ...

Despite the continuing success of the US attack [on Fallujah], in other parts of the country it has generated the worst violence for weeks.

Black-masked insurgents in Mosul attacked at least six police stations, stole rifles and body armour, burnt buildings and police cars and roamed freely in streets that had been abandoned by ordinary people and local US and Iraqi military units.

They flouted a curfew which had been announced by the provincial governor the day before, after previous attacks killed three policemen and two residents.

Guerrillas sheltering behind sandbags fired mortar shells towards American and Iraqi forces holding bridges across the River Tigris.

Oh, and things weren't exactly calm in Baghdad either.  You know, the capital city we "liberated" back in April 2003?

In central Baghdad, meanwhile, 17 people were burnt to death by a car bomb, and around the country insurgents carried out what appeared to be co-ordinated attacks. ...

Iraq’s capital is unhappily accustomed to car bombs and explosions, but even by Baghdad standards yesterday’s explosion in the city centre was unusually horrific.

It occurred around lunchtime on the busy Saadun Street, where traffic was jammed as it approached Nassir Square.

Many of the 17 who died appear to have been incinerated as their cars caught fire after the initial blast.

Parry's article closes by noting, "Senior US officers have gone to pains to emphasise that the retaking of Fallujah will not be a silver bullet for the resistance."

Maybe Capt. Bowman isn't getting the memos.