The Closest to Political Commentary That I Will Ever Come

I had the dubious pleasure of watching America's evening news this morning at 5 am Baghdad time. It makes my heart break. It makes my heart break because, in my view, the major news networks do whatever they can to minimize the accomplishments of our troops here. The soldiers are not victims; they are highly successful and victorious warriors. I can only tell you what I see in my corner of the war. But it has been overwhelmingly positive!!

• I see the number of attacks on US Troops reduced to virtually nothing here in Southwest Baghdad.
• I see US soldiers providing medical care to hundreds of Iraqi men, women, and children .
• I see an area formally known as the "Triangle of Death" transformed into a normal, peaceful, secure neighborhood where average Iraqis can get on with their lives.
• I see that contractors are able to bring clean water and electricity to poor villages because these villages are no longer Al Queda havens.
• I see Iraqi Armies stepping up to the challenge of securing their own country.
• I see normal Iraqis taking back the streets to stop murder and insurgency.
• I see hundreds of Iraqi men -- and women -- responding to Iraqi Police recruiting drives.
• I see fewer and fewer signs of chaos, and more signs of order.

This is what the war looks like to me, in my neck of the woods. The troops here are up-beat, not beat down. Most impressively, they are filled with goodwill and a sense of greater purpose. I have never heard a soldier make a disparaging remark about Iraqis.

I think you’ll agree that these positive stories are underreported in the news. And watching the news, I can understand why many Americans have a negative view about Operation Iraqi Freedom. But my advice is: take everything you see on TV with a large grain of salt. Nightly news is designed to entertain.

(Toonces now steps off of soapbox.)

PS: I read today that "Chemical Ali," one of the most anti-humanitarian men who ever lived and responsible for killing at least 100,000 Kurd civilians with chemical weapons, will receive the death sentence after going through the appropriate legal processes and institutions. Unthinkable 5 years ago. The world is a better place.