Iraq Mystery Story

10/19/2007

Paul Munnis


Are things better or worse in Iraq?

It’s pretty hard to know as the military has stopped travel for reporters, restricted movements only to within the “Green Zone,” and censures all press releases for embedded reporters.

Thus we know only what they want us to know and what they want us to know is that they are a big success story. “They are on the verge of declaring that the War in Iraq is won.” And “There is general pacification across the land.”

So that is the picture that s painted.

Yet things manage to “leak out:”

-- Dissention in the Iraqi government.

-- Refusal to grant contracts to Americans but award them to Iran and China.

-- Kurds, off and running their own Federation ignoring the Central Government.

-- Evidence of closing of the ranks between Shiites and their joint focus on killing Sunnni’s in a program of apartheid.

-- Continued bombings and IED explosions and suicide bombings.

-- Increased deaths of American soldiers.

All these stories leak out while lots of carefully crafted White House News Stories accusing Iran of somewhat vague charges and warning of how the White House wants to bomb Iran with complimentary dire warnings about WWIII and stories of Russian intervention on Irans behalf -- all leave the public wonder what the heck is really going on.

Our Senate is cutting a spy on civilians deal with the White House but the contents are all “Secret.”

Foreign news reporters are of no help either -- they are subjected to the same news restrictions.

So – nobody knows if things are better or worse in Iraq. There is a virtual news blackout.

We read stuff but we don’t understand. There are far more questions than answers.