[Dean's World] Dave Price: Peace Breaking Out In Iraq

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Peace Breaking Out In Iraq
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1197860924.shtml


   [1]Hopefully to be followed by prosperity:

     BAGHDAD - Violence in Iraq is at its lowest levels since the first
     year of the American invasion, finally opening a window for
     reconciliation among rival sects, the second-ranking U.S. general
     said Sunday as Iraqi forces formally took control of security
     across half the country.
     ...
     Odierno said Anbar province, once plagued by violence, only
     recorded 12 attacks in the past week, down from an average of 26
     per week over the past three months.

   Presumably no one will accuse Odierno of not knowing what he's talking
   about this time.
   The press, [2]on the other hand...
   And ([3]via Glenn) don't miss Reuel Marc Gerecht's sober, detailed
   look at the realities of Iraq today. Key observation:

     The second reason Iraq has seen the worst, survived, and is likely
     to remain a functioning democracy is that the Shiite center has
     held, actually gaining ground in 2006 and 2007.

   Were elections held today, it seems likely large majorities of Iraqis
   would reward moderates and eschew extremists. 2009's election could be
   a watershed event, because there will probably be real campaigns and
   real parties with real positions this time, rather than what amounted
   to representative tribalism in Jan 2005.

References

   1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071217/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_071212194752;_ylt=AgD9ZDT2TmJhACece8GQqydX6GMA
   2. http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2007/12/its-quagmire-media-reports-6-bogus.html
   3. http://aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubid.27204/pub_detail.asp