Iraqis Optimistic After Five Years
Fifty-five percent of Iraqis now say their own life is going well, up from 39 percent 12 months ago. And 62 percent say security in their local area is good, up 16 percentage points from last year. These results, from an ABC poll carried out across Iraq and released today, paint a picture of a damaged country that is gradually starting to pull itself together again.
Attitudes toward Americans are ambivalent. On the one hand, Iraqis are deeply uncomfortable with the occupation — 73 percent say they oppose the presence of U.S. troops on Iraqi soil. [GP Ed. Note - Um, who wouldn't be opposed to foreign troops in your country?]
When asked whether the U.S. troop surge has contributed to the drop in violence, a little more than half say no. But in a telling reality check, when asked whether U.S. troops should leave Iraq now, only 38 percent agreed — the majority wants U.S. troops to stay until security is guaranteed.
Oh, but wait….   *GP checks statements from Senate Majority Leader*
I am very confused.  Harry Reid tells me “the war is lost.” I’m sure that’s because he has been to Iraq several times since the surge and has seen this first hand? So he must be right, and the Iraqi people must be wrong.
*GP reads some news items*
Oops, no that’s not it. Reid hasn’t been to Iraq at all.  But surely Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi have sat down with General Petraeus when he has offered to brief them?Â
*GP reads more news items….*
Nope, Reid and Pelosi both refused to attend briefings given last year by Gen. Petraeus.  Oh, and what was that?….. Senator Hillary Clinton said late last year that in order to believe Petraeus’ statements that the situation was improving, it would require a “willing suspension of disbelief.” Â
I guess we will just have to trust the Iraqi people and the US military on the ground to tell us the truth, since our Congressional leadership isn’t at all serious about winning the Global War on Terror.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
28 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
If I had gone through what the average Iraqi has experienced during the past five years, I would be grumpy. They clearly understood the rules under Saddam, including being struck by the lightning of capricious whim. But now they have to create order using the republican model while a pack of sectarian wolves prowl at the door. I sincerely hope we do not desert them. We pulled the Saddam rug out from under them and it is our responsibility to protect their process of rebuilding. To abandon them is to say that (at worst) we do not clean up our messes or we really do not believe in ourselves beyond our selfish aims. I would never abandon the mission of seeing a successful conclusion to the creation of a viable, republican Iraq.
Comment by heliotrope — March 20, 2008 @ 11:46 am - March 20, 2008
As a retired Army Lt. Colonel, I am uncomfortable with the idea of invading a soverign nation and imposing a "nation building" regimen. But I also despise Communists, Nazis, Communitarianists, professional minorities and tyrannical and particularly sadistic dictators (who have offspring who are trained and encouraged to perpetuate a rule by sadism and fear for multiple generations). Arabs in the region  should have been ashamed of Saddam, but ethnocentrism ruled and still rules. The world should have been ashamed; but instead they (and even some fellow Americans) heap shame on America for freeing 25 million people from a sociopath. It’s understandable for other countries to be critical; for Americans something else is at work because it was readily and officially recognized by the Clinton administration that Saddam Hussein had to go. Let’s give our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and our deployed civilians a break and let them win so the Iraqi people can win and break from the influence of sociopaths.
Comment by Mark — March 20, 2008 @ 12:13 pm - March 20, 2008
Michael Totten agrees with John Burns that most Iraqis have "an overwhelming desire to see American troops remain long enough to restore stability."
That’s the trick: Restoring stability when, for craven reasons, we will name only one of the real enemies who are destroying it (al Qaeda in Iraq) and not the other (Iran).
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 20, 2008 @ 12:47 pm - March 20, 2008
Christopher Hitchens has a good and interesting (I think) article on Iraq from five years’ perspective:
http://www.slate.com/id/2186740/pagenum/all/#page_start
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 20, 2008 @ 12:59 pm - March 20, 2008
Sorry, I just have to throw this in from President Bush’s speech yesterday. By itself, it justifies the war:
By contrast, deserting Iraq would make al Qaeda the strong horse, showing that terrorism can defeat men and women who love liberty. Too many lefties – like Rev. Wright, or like the Kos-tard who called the other day for America to be invaded and occupied – want that.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 20, 2008 @ 1:17 pm - March 20, 2008
Same here! Fortunately, that didn’t apply in the specific case of Iraq.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 20, 2008 @ 2:43 pm - March 20, 2008
Clearly not all iraqis are feeling too confident:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/aug/06/gayrights.iraq
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4915172.stm
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=11256
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/01/010208iraq.htm
http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_5304
But to most homocons, non American, non conservative and non white LGBTQ’s don’t really matter.
[And to most of our critics, only news reports they like matters, especially when, as the links above, they come from outlets with reputations of bias. We never said there were no problems, just that things were on the whole improving. Guess, these dead-enders would rather focus on the negative and ignore the positive. --Dan]
Comment by John Santos — March 21, 2008 @ 10:31 am - March 21, 2008
GQ magazine is biased? The Beeb is biased? Clearly, as shown by Dan’s comment, any dissent against a homocon’s pie-in-the-sky pride with Iraq is met with a ridiculous wave of the hand dismissal.
[Where have you been? Conservatives have been noting the beeb's bias for years. And where did I say that any dissent in met with a dismissal? Did you even read my words? I just noted you were focusing on the minus. Let me repeat, we never said things were perfect, just that they were improving -- Dan]
“We never said there were no problems, just that things were on the whole improving.”
No, you never said there were problems, Dan. And no, things on the whole are not improving for Iraqi LGBTQ’s.
So many homocons like to claim they are, “American first; gay second.” I guess when it comes to reporting on human rights violations against LGBTQ’s in Iraq, that should be amened to state, “I am Sharia first and gay second.”
When I find rightwing sites that are writing about the plight of LGBTQ Iraqis, I’ll post those links too, Dan. Until then, here are some more “biased” links:
http://ahbab.blogspot.com/2006/05/gay-teen-shot-in-iraq-14-year-old.html
http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/iraqi-gays-mysteriously-disappearing/
http://aidanmaconachyblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/iraq-targeting-of-gays-and-lesbians.html
Comment by John Santos — March 21, 2008 @ 11:49 am - March 21, 2008
I think John is right. We need to just annihliate every Muslim. Because you see when Muslims act like Muslims even that is America fault.. so as long Muslims walk the earth John can point to what they do and blame it on America.. so we should just wipe them out and really fix things.
Good idea John!
Comment by Vince P — March 21, 2008 @ 1:50 pm - March 21, 2008
Wow! "Paul Raposo", oops I mean "John Santos", oops I mean "George Trezibond", oops I mean "Ringo Unterhosen", is back! Remember what fun we with him/her/it, the last time?
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 2:11 pm - March 21, 2008
Sorry, typo, "What fun we *had*…"
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 2:12 pm - March 21, 2008
“Conservatives have been noting the beeb’s bias for years.”
Yeah, conservatives. Conservatives have also claimed the WSJ and The WaPo are biased.
“And where did I say that any dissent in met with a dismissal?”
You didn’t. I however, did.
“I just noted you were focusing on the minus.”
Uh…yes, Dan. LGBTQ Iraqis being murdered is quite a minus in my book. Especially when Bruce seems pleased that some Iraqis are content, while not mentioning the plight of people who are just like you, if not “your people.”
“…just that they were improving…”
And again, improving for some Iraqis, while for others things have become worse for no other reason than they are not a certain sexuality
Comment by John Santos — March 21, 2008 @ 4:13 pm - March 21, 2008
“…John can point to what they do and blame it on America.”
Where did I blame the murders of LGBTQ Iraqis on America, Vince?
“We need to just annihliate every Muslim.”
And,
“so we should just wipe them out and really fix things.”
Well, the theocracy that has become Iraq has starting fulfilling your wish, Vince. However, they have decided to start with the Iraqi LGBTQ’s–which I doubt will bother you all that much.
Comment by John Santos — March 21, 2008 @ 4:17 pm - March 21, 2008
Your link doesn’t work, ILC. How terribly embarrassing for you.
Comment by John Santos — March 21, 2008 @ 4:20 pm - March 21, 2008
Oh yes it does, "John". How "terribly embarrassing" for you. LOL
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 4:56 pm - March 21, 2008
Yes it does, ILC, if your goal was to link to the home page of GP. And as an actual hyper-link wherein clicking it, one will open a new page, yes it also works. However, if you were trying to link to a pertinent post, or comment relevant to the insanity you suffer from and your projections of multiple-personality disoder, then it failed miserably.
Comment by John Santos — March 21, 2008 @ 5:04 pm - March 21, 2008
Ooooh, very lame save. Rave on, Paul/John/George/Ringo!
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 5:07 pm - March 21, 2008
And PS:
ty for conceding it works
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 5:09 pm - March 21, 2008
Sorry to point out your incompetence, ILC, but whatever page you are trying to link to, does not show up when I click it. Why don’t you let one of the voices in your head man the keyboard and give it a go. I’ll be sitting over there waiting.
Comment by John Santos — March 21, 2008 @ 5:15 pm - March 21, 2008
Rave on, Paul/John/George/Ringo!
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 5:21 pm - March 21, 2008
And PS:
Don’t you get it, John/Paul/George/Ringo? It shows *your* incompetence. (Firefox or IE7, Windows or Linux – No problems.)
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 5:26 pm - March 21, 2008
Well, maybe it’s just me. Does the link work for anyone else? And I mean real people; not the ones running around inside ILC’s head.
Comment by John Santos — March 21, 2008 @ 5:27 pm - March 21, 2008
Firefox links back to GP’s front page. IE presents a 404 error.
What do YOU see when you click the link, ILC?
Comment by John Santos — March 21, 2008 @ 5:29 pm - March 21, 2008
…Said the tweaker with multiple online identities. Fun!
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 5:30 pm - March 21, 2008
Indeed it is, Paul/John/George/Ringo. I mean, that’s your whole game, isn’t it? Making it about you? Oh, plus the sockpuppets.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 5:33 pm - March 21, 2008
I use IE7 on Vista x64. I right clicked on the link and chose to open in new window. I get a 404 after it seems to redirect.
Comment by Vince P — March 21, 2008 @ 7:10 pm - March 21, 2008
uh ignore that.
I hate these comments thigns.
Where’s the Customer Service around here?
Comment by Vince P — March 21, 2008 @ 7:25 pm - March 21, 2008
Vince, I’ll try it on IE7 / Vista when I get home.
I’ll say this to the good people in this thread, like you: I’ve been trying every link right after I post it for some weeks now, because I don’t fully trust the new comments device on GP either. And I have yet to run into a problem. During the day I use WinXP / IE7, WinXP / Firefox, and Linux / Firefox. At home I use WinXP / IE7, WinXP / Firefox, Vista / IE7, and Vista / Firefox.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — March 21, 2008 @ 7:58 pm - March 21, 2008