2004-09-26

Iraq out of control

I've not been commenting on the situation in Iraq lately. It's on my mind constantly as it has been for a long, long while. I don't even know what to say anymore... I don't know what to feel anymore. My mind is a swirl of rage and sadness. Sadness for the Iraqi's and rage at the U.S. government and my fellow Americans... I don't even want to go there... can't let it out. Pointless.

Christopher of Back to Iraq writes that It's Worse Than You Think...

I don’t know if I can really put into words just how bad it is here some days. Yesterday was horrible — just horrible. While most reports show Fallujah, Ramadi and Samarra as “no-go” areas, practically the entire Western part of the country is controlled by insurgents, with pockets of U.S. power formed by the garrisons outside the towns. Insurgents move freely throughout the country and the violence continues to grow.

I wish I could point to a solution, but I don’t see one. People continue to email me, telling me to report the “truth” of all the good things that are going on in Iraq. I’m not seeing a one. A buddy of mine is stationed here and they’re fixing up a park on a major street. Gen. Chiarelli was very proud of this accomplishment, and he stressed this to me when I interviewed him for the TIME story. But Baghdadis couldn’t care less. They don’t want city beautification projects; they want electricity, clean water and, most of all, an end to the violence.

What have we done? What have we done?