By Lucy Mohl
On a day when the lead story is a bad statistic — more U.S. service people killed in Iraq since the "end of major combat operations" than during those operations — it is easy to think the troops should come home. But Thomas Friedman in the New York Times makes an impassioned and reasoned argument for reinforcing our commitment to the region, and how dangerously the Bush Whitehouse is playing to the edge.
Iraq today is responsible for publishing some of most compelling regional reporting going on; it's a good sign to see it getting props from the sage of Baghdad, Salam Pax. His own latest post, though, reflects the long and torturous ways in which Iraq is struggling toward any type of independent nationhood.
"... the problem is that people want to read that things are getting better and we are happy, but things are getting better in such a slow pace that it is almost imperceptible, and with the one step we move forward on one front we move back 3 steps on other fronts. People need to know that their kids and loved ones are here for a good reason and this is what they want to hear. Otherwise they send me emails saying that I am being part of the problem. They send me emails telling me that I should help the Americans capture the terrorists and Baathists, as if they walk around in the streets wearing signs. Maybe we Iraqis did expect too much from the American invasion, we did hope there is going to be an easy way. Get rid of Saddam and have the Americans help us rebuild. I don't think like that anymore. I am starting to believe that the chaos we will go thru the next 5 or 10 years is part of the price we will *have* to pay to have our freedom."
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