Fareed Zakaria: Arabs on Our Side:

“While the events of last week have transformed the situation in Afghanistan, their effects in Washington have been more comical. Gen. Tommy Franks, who 10 days earlier was facing a barrage of criticism, is now being showered with praise. Commentators who had been thundering about Washington’s feeble war plans now extol the suppleness of our strategy. The Northern Alliance, once scorned as a ragtag bunch of misfits, is now spoken of with awe and affection. We should not have been so surprised that the Afghans switched to the winning side so quickly. People in Washington do it all the time.

So one great myth about the war against the Taliban — that we were losing on the ground — has exploded. But another still stays strong. We hear daily that even as it is vanquishing the foe, America is losing the propaganda war. Tensions are bubbling over as we enter the month of Ramadan. The Arab street is angry. But is it?” Washington Post