"I know! For a real objective look at how the Iraqi army is doing, we'll interview a deserter!"
When desertion is the norm, who would you interview?
When the desertion rate is so high that it consistently affects effectiveness, who would you talk to? Someone who will say what you want to hear? Get serious.
And, let's acknowledge that these "Iraqi-led" offensives have a token Iraqi force and are really American and British with the barest minimum of Iraqi cover. When was the last time an Iraqi plane bombed an Iraqi city, for instance?
Arf