re: Publicity as a military goal
While I'm unable to go into details, I can tell you that what I hear on a daily basis from officers who have commanded combat units in Iraq -- and yes, who have buried their men who have died in Iraq -- is that if anything our approach is too "kinetic", too heavy-weapon oriented, and not enough focussed on politics, "hearts and minds", or winning the global information camapign. I do not hear complaints about having to fight with hands tied behind their backs or about overly restrictive ROE.
But of course you read milblogs Tom, so I guess you're the expert.