Terrorists Iraqis Hate Freedom

How long is it going to take before the Bush Administration makes that their talking point?

"With a heavy dose of fear and violence, and a lot of money for projects, I think we can convince these people that we are here to help them," he said. He was speaking from a village that his men had surrounded with barbed wire, upon which was a sign, stating: "This fence is here for your protection. Do not approach or try to cross, or you will be shot." (snip)

Describing how an American soldier in a Santa Claus hat was giving out stuffed animals to children, reporter Jason Keyser wrote that one 11-year- old child "looked puzzled, then smiled" as the soldier gave him a small, stuffed goat. Then the report continued: "Others in the crowd of mostly Muslims grabbed greedily at the box," adding the soldier's remark that: "They don't know how to handle generosity."

I don't doubt the soldier's wish to do good. But what is one to make of the "mostly Muslims" who "grabbed greedily" at the gifts? Or the soldier's insensitive remarks about generosity? Iraqi newspapers have been front--paging a Christmas card produced by US troops in Baghdad: "1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Wishes you a very Merry Christmas!" it says.

But the illustration is of Saddam Hussein in his scruffy beard just after his capture, with a Santa hat superimposed on top of his head. Funny enough for us, no doubt--I can't personally think of a better fall-guy for St Nicholas--but a clear insult to Sunni Arabs who, however much they may loathe the beast of Baghdad, will see in this card a deliberate attempt to humiliate Muslim Iraqis. It is for Iraqis to demean their ex-president--not their American occupiers.

Read the rest of the Robert Fisk article here.

As far as Saddam's capture making things safer for the occupying troops--once more, I urge anyone taking a look over here to link to Today in Iraq. Additionally, last night I took a glance at 60 Minutes--ok, I'll admit it, at least in part to glance at the walking freak show that Michael Jackson has become, although I couldn't handle more than a thirty second dose at a time--but the piece which followed was chilling (so chilling that CBS has yet to post more than a one paragraph summary, although this is likely also an attempt by the Tiffany network to maximize the publicity of the Jackson interview. Hell, ABC did almost the exact same thing last month).

Anyway, the piece by Christiane Amanpour made it clear that our attempts to create civic order in Mesopotamia are almost laughably dimwitted, unless one realizes that the end result of this will mean the deaths of more Iraqis and more US soldiers...and, yeah, placing the Iraqis first THIS ONE TIME is something I did deliberately. It's time we realized that first, killing Iraqis either accidentally or deliberately is one of the things that is LOSING this war. Also, there is a simple question of humanity factoring into the equation. As long as we consider Iraqi deaths to be of such little consequence, we are implying that Iraqis are somehow LESS than human. Again, this will negatively impact any attempt to win hearts and minds.

I'll try to link to the Amanpour piece from 60 Minutes as soon as it's available. Among other gems it noted:

At least some "Iraqi Security Officers" are, in fact, working with the opposition. Imagine that!
For a while, most of the "Security Officers" carried no weapon at all, which meant they were outgunned by most citizens, who usually have an AK-47 or like weapon in their home. Something tells me that a weaponless Security Officer doesn't generate much in the way of respect over there. England it ain't.
"Joint" Patrols seem to consist of a single Iraqi officer making the rounds while guarded by a number of American soldiers. Bet that doesn't go over too well for either the Americans or the Iraqi.
While more "Security Officers" now carry an AK-47, they are still outgunned by opposition forces, who have RPG's, AAA (Anti-Aircraft Artillery, which doesn't necessarily have to be aimed skyward), as well as small arms. Additionally, our Iraqis are allowed very limited quantities of ammunition.
Police buildings, when they exist at all, are largely inadequate--some were bombed during the war, while others were looted after Hussein's government collapsed. Just creating a genuine civil law enforcement presence will require a massive investment.

And, one other thing: All the money that's been sunk into Iraq to date--the roughly $160 billion, the chunk that came out of the regular Pentagon share of the purse, and whatever has gone to contractors like Halliburton--remember, all of that money could have gone into a genuine attempt to counter terrorism, by working on improving our domestic security (as opposed to the idiotic "color-my-world-with-terror" code).

Why don't true conservatives note this?