The State of Iraq: Really?

I'm just sick of all these smug "experts" and journalists passing judgement onthe Iraqi's "good job" or "bad job" of rebuilding their nation. No one seems to want to point out that it was our completely unjustified and illegal invasion and occupation of their country - and the destruction of their infrastructure, that has put them inthis position. Where is the shame and moral indignation?? Get off your high horses. How dare you pass judgement on our victims.

Sent by Michael Johnson | 4:53 PM ET | 06-26-2008

Who cares anymore? Trying to do something about the war is an exercise in futility. The mainstream press aren't interested in covering it (their corporate owners don't want to upset the Bush administration). Republicans want to continue it as to not make them look bad, and the Democrats, who were elected to stop it, are lapdogs to the Bush administration and are afraid to do anything.

So, let the slaughter continue. Let the contractors keep getting rich and everyone else involved in war profiteering with no accountability. Let the American public continue to finance it so their children will inherit nothing but debt. Let the religious war, that's been going on for thousands of years, keep going, only now with our funding and participation. Let us keep breeding more terrorists and causing more death. And let the soldiers keep dying for a war they volunteered for.

Sent by Ted Paxton | 5:03 PM ET | 06-26-2008

With or without Iraqi oil, the world oil market will run its course. It is extremely regrettable that the US invaded Iraq *and* did it wrong, due to top level mismanagement of historic dimensions. The only worthwhile consideration now is how the coalition troops can get out of there with the fewest casualties.

Sent by Ernest Blakeley | 7:15 PM ET | 06-26-2008

I am always furious when people in America say things are improving in Iraq. Let's see. A foreign country is in control of every detail of Iraqi life. Soldiers go into peoples homes at will and push them around, fundamentally disrepecting the women and dishonouring the men. Imagine those conditions here in America and let me hear one American who would give legitimacy to this state of affairs in America. It's as if the Iraqi people are viewed as less than human and consequently not befitting the outrage that should attach to human beings being in these conditions.

Sent by bernard | 9:06 PM ET | 06-26-2008

I was troubled when, in answer to a mother's question about what dangers her son would be facing on his imminent deployment in Iraq, Michael Gordon slipped in an irrelevent reference to US intelligence speculation that roadside bombs may have been supplied by Iran. Fair enough to mention this when specifically asked, but why here? In the Bush administration's latest drumbeat for war, this time with Iran, this smacks too much of the kind of media complicity the New York Times was all too guilty of its reporting on Iraq. If a Times reporter is going to talk about such sensitive subjects, one would expect greater care, context and relevance.

Sent by Kit Baker | 3:35 AM ET | 06-27-2008

However one nit-picks, qualifies, or interprets the current "state of affairs" in Iraq, they are vastly improved over what existed under Saddam, or what existed prior to the surge.

This should force acknowledgement of two truths: (1) the war is being won; (2) the geo-strategy behind the war, the introduction of massive change into the heart of the Arab world, has a growing chance of being accomplished.

Sent by Jack Williams | 11:00 AM ET | 06-27-2008

Not a single comment, eh? More comments on BYOR and pregnancy than the war. Ha! Just proves my point, no one cares anymore, and no one knows what to believe either. Sad state of affairs. The media should've done its job back in 2002.

Sent by Ted | 12:06 PM ET | 06-27-2008

Caught a bit of your program with Michael Gordon yesterday on how well things are going in Iraq post surge. Michael Gordon and Judith Miller are the ones that brought us the story about aluminum tubes (September 8th, '02) which has long been thoroughly discredited. Why does NPR (now jokingly referred to as National Pentagon Radio), continue to rely on journalists and generals that carry water for the Bush administration?

Sent by Michael Striff | 1:23 PM ET | 06-27-2008

In the end regardles of the history of the situation one has to find the way forward. Most people agree that forward progress in Iraq is best realized through the active participation of the Iraqi people. Unfortunately only Oppertunist have stood up in Iraq to sieze power. None in Iraq have stood up to take on the hard burdens of responsiblity. If Iraq did not posses vast quantities of oil, The Sunnis and the Bathist in particular would not have had interest in power, the Saudis would not have overlooked thier long standing western prejudice to allow American interference, the US would not have interfered, and the Iranians would not see an avenue to support Shiite rule now. The only way to permenately heal the rift in Iraq is to remove the power players and let peace settle on those who remain. As God or fate (wichever you prefer) would have it that is exactly what is going to happen. The oil in Iraq will dry up. Saddam moved on Kuwait so long ago just to maintain his oil empire. The Saudis are likely syphoning what fuel the can out of Iraqi oil fields while the world is distracted by the surface issues. The Saudis keep oil reserves a secret for the verry reason of keeping power and controls. Ultimately that power will come to an end and all the oil speculators know it. If the Saudis could pump more oil out they would just to reep record profits. China and India would likely pay any cost for oil as they have not yet discovered or at least not reported signifigant discovery of oil in their territory. In this sittuation the Saudis should be happy to increase production. It is in fact in their best interest to increase production as the currency of oil purchase is the dollar. Demands on the US economy made by high oil prices weeken the dollar. So a stable US economy equals a better value for every dollar paid to the Saudis for their oil. There is a minimum of a 60% slip in the dollars value against the euro since the begining of the Iraq war. If you adjust that loss in value to current oil prices The Saudis are getting just about 90 dollars a barrell. While that still represent a signifigant increase in oil price for the 10 to 25 dollars a barrell the recieved at the time the proximate unrest is not worth the profit. More importantly increased cost for basic commodeties combined with week dollar takes an additional toll on the actual cost per barrell. Most Americans are upset with the US oil companies for not ratcheting up production. However American companies are the only ones proffiting from the current state of international affairs. Oil companies are content not drill in available oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico not because they lack the autority to drill( because they do have licence to drill in the gulf), but because they can reep proffits at a sustainable rate. US Refinery capacity is not maxed out. One would think that a company seeking to reep the best proffits would infact maximize proffits by increasing availablility. Infact the opposite is true. Every possible excuse to shut down refineries are used. In the beginning of the Bush adminsitration Former Haliberton Ceo, Dick Cheney held a series of confrences to discuss "energy polocy" an unprecidented move for what should be a simbolic figurehead. What is more americans are left only to suspect the procedings of that meeting since Mr Cheney does not seem to believe that his action while on gonverment time and money spent in service of the government is accountable to the people. What we do know is since those meating oil prices have risen and only us companies are reaping full rewards. Even Exon having made record proffits and sought out and recieved record tax breaks has now been awarded 2 billion additional dollars by the Bush manipulated Supreme Court. We as Americans bear a terrible responsibility for our own troubles and troubles half way around the world. We as americans allowed the Bush administration to move unchecked for going on 8 years. The sollutin now is not another ellection. We as Americans have a much harder task ahead of us. We must remove ourselves from the influence and the property of Big Oil. Renewable energy is not and option or a solution but an obligation to mitigate the effect of the havoc we have allowed to be wrought. Conservation is a minimum requirement for all Americans. Certainly the time of the SUV is passed. American Auto makers had better get with the program. They have known about carbon fiber structures (the same material used in 200 and 300 mile an our race cars) But have refused to impliment the new lighter fuel efficient techknowlodgy due to conversion cost. Hybrids are not a respectable option without a minimum of 250 miles per gallon (Tesla Auto already produces a roadster at 250 miles per gallon and only requires a AC charge daily to maintain this efficiency). The ability to change and reform is here. We as Americans have only to choose to embrace it.

Sent by Antoine Baptiste | 7:34 PM ET | 06-27-2008

I am firmly among those who feel the war was unjustly initiated by a staggeringly arrogant, dishonest, intellectually and morally bankrupt administration. "Support our troops!" the unthinking bray. "Things are surely better than they were before!" we hear from time to time. We have a 3 TRILLION dollar war, a soiled reputation among the world's communities, and so many ruined lives on all sides in the name of George W. Bush. I hope we can survive his final six months in office. That he and teflon Dick Cheney remain unimpeached is a disgrace. That Condoleeza Rice is still regarded with a stil-high degree of respect stuns me.

Sent by Frank | 9:17 PM ET | 06-27-2008

Michael Striff makes a good point. How about going back and looking a pre-war coverage. Who was right and who was wrong. Then check that against who shows up on talk shows, the guys who knew what they were talking about and the guys who have been consistently wrong? I'd believe Leila Fadel, McClatchy's Baghdad Bureau Chief who speaks English and Arabic, over Michael Gordon any day.

Sent by Mabel | 11:58 PM ET | 06-27-2008

People like Jack Williams are totally full of hot gas. Hussein was not a threat and was being contained. Containment won the cold war. The neocons who pushed for this war and then botched it should be ridiculed into oblivion if not prosecuted. Ask the Iraqi Christians who are refugees about how this war has been "won".

Sent by Mike Fleissner | 11:39 PM ET | 06-29-2008

Many people seem to argue that since mistakes were made in 2003 we should leave now. That would be fine if we could go back to 2003, but we can't. Our best option is to make lemonade from lemons and that would be creating a stable democracy across all of Iraq. While the military made numerous mistakes they have learned from those and the results are encouraging. Unfortunately that doesn't mean we're done. We are nation building and it takes time. I'd rather see a discussion on what the possibilities are in 5 to 10 years from now. If sharia law takes over in Iraq as compared to a secular democracy. Those are the real options we should discuss. What are the costs now and in the future for each of these scenarios.

Sent by MattR | 3:52 PM ET | 07-01-2008

I don't believe things are improving in Iraq, as a matter of fact just this morning on the news they reported another car bomb attack over there in that region. If anything, things are being covered up by informing us that there are less car bomb attacks, but what about attacks in general? I'm pretty sure that the terrorist are doing other brutal acts that just don't get talked about in the media because its not as exciting as lets say a car bomb attack. So to sum it all up, the military i believe is decieving the American people by not giving us the FULL DETAILS!

Sent by Jreal | 6:09 PM ET | 07-02-2008

Absolutely right! We outta pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan all together. In FACT we need to get out of Canada and Mexico TOO! Who CARES if the Wahabbis come a knocking? We can always NEGOTIATE with them! That'll show em. We also need to get rid of our NUKES and for that matter nuclear POWER. Bad idea from the start. And who needs a military? People only get killed. We don't need to flex our muscle. We can negotiate.

Sent by Scott Edward Wilson | 10:08 PM ET | 07-07-2008

I find it interesting that NPR has to has a "MODERATOR" to "CONTROL" the discussion. The Chinese public news sources do this too don't they?

Sent by Scott Edward Wilson | 10:23 PM ET | 07-07-2008