[antimedia] antimedia: Michelle Malkin is back from Iraq....

[Email subscription to blog articles]

Posted by antimedia:
Michelle Malkin is back from Iraq....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1169045652.shtml


   ....and she wrote a [1]fantastic article about conditions there. These
   are some of her thoughts, but do read the entire article.

     Last week, I embedded with U.S. Army troops at Forward Operating
     Base Justice in northern Baghdad. Outside the wire, we toured the
     slums and met with neighborhood leaders inching toward
     self-sufficiency in al Salam. We sipped chai with a sheikh who
     condemned terrorists on all sides. We watched residents bicker over
     a civil affairs blanket drop in Khadamiyah. We sat with slimy Mahdi
     Army apologists in Hurriya. We stopped by a Sunni insurgent
     enclave, which soldiers I patrolled with dubbed a "sniperville," in
     al Adil.
     There's nothing glamorous or romantic about these missions. No one
     will make a movie about our men and women in uniform engaged in the
     tedious, painstaking business of moving Iraq toward stability and
     governability. But if the war is to be won -- if security is to be
     established and the foundations of a civil society bolstered --
     this is ground zero. The troops I met ask only three things of
     their fellow Americans back home: time, patience and understanding
     of the enormous complexities on the ground.

   More people should be listening to our troops. Only they know what's
   really going on -- not the myriad "experts" who have never set foot in
   Iraq nor risked their lives in defense of freedom. And that includes
   retired generals and so-called "military experts".

     Modern war in the Middle East is no longer as cut-and-dried as
     shooting all the bad guys and going home. We are fighting a "war of
     the fleas" -- not just Sunni terrorists and Shiite death squads,
     but multiple home-grown and foreign operators, street gangs,
     organized crime and freelance jihadis conducting ambushes,
     extrajudicial killings, sectarian attacks, vehicle bombings and
     sabotage against American, coalition and Iraqi forces. Cell phones,
     satellites and the Internet have allowed the fleas to magnify their
     importance, disseminate insurgent propaganda instantly and weaken
     political will.
     I came to Iraq a darkening pessimist about the war, due in large
     part to my doubts about the compatibility of Islam and
     Western-style democracy, but also as a result of the steady,
     sensational diet of "grim milestone" and "daily IED count" media
     coverage that aids the insurgency.
     I left Iraq with unexpected hope and resolve.
     The everyday bravery and consummate professionalism of the troops I
     embedded with have strengthened my faith in the U.S. military.
     These soldiers are well aware of the history, culture and sectarian
     strife that have wracked the Muslim world for more than a
     millennium. "They love death," one gunner muttered as we heard
     explosions in the distance while parked in al Adil. Nevertheless,
     these troops are willing to put their lives on the line to bring
     security to Iraq, one neighborhood at a time.

   Our military is the best there is -- and not just at killing people
   and destroying things (although we are very good at those things.)
   They deserve our unconditional support, regardless of our feelings
   about our government's leaders.

     The troops I met scoff at peace activists' efforts to "bring them
     home now." But they are just as critical of the Bush administration
     and Pentagon's missteps -- from holding Iraqi elections too early,
     to senselessly breaking up their brigade combat team, to drawing
     down forces and withdrawing last year in Baghdad and Fallujah, to
     failing to hold cities after clearing them of insurgents. They
     speak candidly and critically of Shiite militia infiltration of
     some Iraqi police and Iraqi Army units and corruption in government
     ministries, but they want you to know about the unheralded good
     news, too.

   There is nothing wrong with criticizing our government. There is more
   than enough to criticize. But when that criticism leads to demanding
   the abject surrender of our forces it has bled over into treason. We
   should never discourage our fellow citizens from criticizing our
   government, but we should actively reject those who demand surrender
   or compare this great country with some of the worst governments of
   mankind's history. The Chomskites, Michael Moores, George Soroses and
   Moveon.Orgers of this country should be scoffed at, ridiculed and
   marginalized, not celebrated or encouraged. (Hat tip to the [2]Castle
   Argghhh!.)

References

   1. http://townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2007/01/17/what_i_saw_in_iraq
   2. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/01/hi_fires_17_jan.html