[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: Good news from Iraq

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
Good news from Iraq
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1191271888.shtml


   The press admits that the [1]surge is working

     BAGHDAD - Deaths among American forces and Iraqi civilians fell
     dramatically last month to their lowest levels in more than a year,
     according to figures compiled by the U.S. military, the Iraqi
     government and The Associated Press.

     The decline signaled a U.S. success in bringing down violence in
     Baghdad and surrounding regions since Washington completed its
     infusion of 30,000 more troops on June 15.

     A total of 64 American forces died in September â the lowest
     monthly toll since July 2006.

     The decline in Iraqi civilian deaths was even more dramatic,
     falling from 1,975 in August to 922 last month, a decline of 53.3
     percent. The breakdown in September was 844 civilians and 78 police
     and Iraqi soldiers, according to Iraq's ministries of Health,
     Interior and Defense.

   In his next report from Iraq, Michael Totten describes the [2]mundane
   and inspiring aspects of being in Iraq..

     ...I seriously wondered why I hadn't waited for October or even
     November. The heat in Iraq during the summer is enough to make a
     religious man rail against God. I'm baffled, frankly, at how human
     civilization began in a place so inhospitable to human beings.
     Someone, I forget who, compared facing the afternoon breeze to
     sticking a hair dryer in your face while pouring sand on your head.
     That pretty much says it. It is much worse than in a place like
     Arizona, for instance, because you can hardly catch a break from it
     unless you stay on base in one of the buildings.

     âIt's ridiculous here in the summer,â he said. âAt Camp Ramadi you
     take one step outside and dust explodes.â

     âIt must be nice in the winter,â I said.

     âActually, it's worse,â he said. âAll this dust turns to mud.â

     The dust was finely grained, almost like talcum powder. The
     soldiers call it moon dust, and it's more than six inches deep in
     some places, like a soft inland beach.

     âIt has the consistency of chocolate pudding when it's wet,â he
     continued. âSometimes you think it's okay to walk on because the
     ground looks all cracked and dried up. So you go ahead and step on
     it, and then....GLORK!...your foot breaks through and you're more
     than boot-deep in the mud. You get that shit on you and it's not
     coming off. Winter is miserable.â....

     ....One of the kids ran up to him, pointed to the east, said
     something in Arabic, and laughed.

     âHe asked if we would go over to the next tribal area and kill
     everybody who lives there,â the lieutenant told me and rolled his
     eyes. âHeâs only kidding, but you see how it is here.â

     We walked together in silence for a few moments.

     âThey think we can do a lot more for them than we can,â he said.
     âLike weâre all-powerful.â Iâve heard that many Iraqis think the
     Americans are so powerful they can fix Iraq at will any time, which
     means there must be some sinister reason why they want Iraq to
     remain broken. Some Lebanese Iâve met think the same way.

     âPresident Bush can fix Lebanon in ten minutes,â a Beirut taxi
     driver once told me. âSo why doesnât he?â

     âSome of them call me Sheikh Daoud,â Lieutenant Davies said. Daoud
     is Arabic for David, which is not exactly his name, but itâs close.
     âThey say hey, youâre a sheikh, you can make stuff happen. I say,
     well, thatâs just a nickname you gave me. Weâll see.â

References

   1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071001/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
   2. http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001521.html