Marie Cocco: Just Ask the Iraqis

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from Truthdig:


Just Ask the Iraqis

Posted on Sep 13, 2007
By Marie Cocco



WASHINGTON—It’s all about us.

This is why the theatrical masterpiece of Gen. David Petraeus’ testimony to Congress coincided with the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. President Bush always has cast the American invasion and occupation of Iraq as part of the larger war on terror, a logical and supposedly unavoidable step to prevent the next 9/11—or inexplicably, avenge the last. The falsity of the claimed connection was long ago exposed but it resurfaces like an ugly, bloated corpse.

What if the hearings had been held in connection with another anniversary—say, that of the 2006 bombing that shattered the Golden Mosque in Samarra, a spectacular provocation that intensified, possibly beyond hope, the sectarianism that tears at Iraq? “This is as 9/11 in the United States,” Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite politician and one of Iraq’s two vice presidents, said at the time.

Perhaps we would then ask what Iraqis think of the American military “surge,” ostensibly conducted on their behalf. If we did, we would find that they think it is a failure.

Six in 10 Iraqis say security in Iraq overall has worsened since the surge began. That is their grim assessment, according to an extensive national poll conducted jointly by ABC News, the BBC and NHK, a Japanese broadcaster.

The survey cannot be said to contain any data from which even the most facile manipulator could make a colorful collection of upbeat charts. The proportion of Iraqis who rate their local security positively—43 percent—is unchanged since March. When asked to assess the surge overall, Iraqis are particularly negative: More than two-thirds of them say the stepped-up U.S. military presence has worsened security, worsened the country’s political dialogue, and worsened the pace of reconstruction and economic development. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20070913_just_ask_the_iraqis/