So says independent war correspondent Michael Yon, a respected contributor to major news outlets. He writes to Glenn Reynolds:
There’s nothing going on. I’m with the 10th Mountain Division, and about half of the guys I’m with haven’t fired their weapons on this tour and they’ve been here eight months. And the place we’re at, South Baghdad, used to be one of the worst places in Iraq. And now there’s nothing going on. I’ve been walking my feet off and haven’t seen anything. I’ve been asking Iraqis, ‘do you think the violence will kick up again,’ but even the Iraqi journalists are sounding optimistic now and they’re usually dour.
JD Johannes has a before and after video of the Dora sector of Baghdad. Signs of normal life, including pool halls and bridal shops, are now visible amongst extraordinary peace. Yon says that the major problem facing Iraqis now is corruption. Yeah, welcome to the club.
President Bush should go to Iraq before his term ends. Americans should see that the sacrifices our soldiers made wasn’t for naught. Freedom has been brought to nearly 30 million people who were previously living under Saddam Hussein’s brutal rule. The surge, and subsequently the war, was a success.
14. November 2008 at 8:37 pm
Thank you for posting this. Once, just ONCE, I would like to see a high-profile well-produced media piece or two showing the American public what has been accomplished over there. Throughout this conflict I’ve had to go to millitary sites to see photos of the schools going up, local Iraqi people interacting happily with our soldiers, people voting. Some solid success numbers wouldn’t hurt, either.
My heart aches when I think of how little public support our millitary has received, how little gratitude.
While I feel it would be a mistake to immediately pull completely out of there before the Iraqi defense is stronger, I definitely think some high-profile high-fiving is in order. Wouldn’t that be refreshing?
Thank you, armed forces, for keeping us safe and helping secure freedom abroad.