We hear no end of tales of failure in Iraq. But because of one small project (and there are hundreds such in Iraq), 10,000 of our fellow human beings won't have to live with sewage in their streets and shanties. That makes a real, human difference. Yes, it might be minor in the great schemes of global strategy. It won't make us loved throughout the Middle East. But America's soldiers make a profound difference in here-and-now lives. How many armies in history could make that claim?
We've all heard plenty about human-rights abuses. What about those 10,000 dirt-poor Iraqis whose children will have a chance to escape disease? The old regime wouldn't spare them a few pipes and pumps. Isn't exposing a child to cholera while building palaces for yourself a human-rights abuse?
By the way: I didn't see any of our self-righteous critics in the Risalah slum. ....
For all the bad news you hear — much of it viciously skewed — Baghdad is a city of hope. And it isn't thanks to Saddam — or to those in the West who opposed a tyrant's overthrow. ( New York Post)
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
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The Inspector General of the rebuilding efforts in Iraq testified before Congress and said that while we had been making steady progress in certain infrastructure improvemennts until last July, since then we had fallen back somewhat, not a great deal but enough to effect electrical output and oil production.
When Condi was questioned about this she said that we had been spending our time and energy improving sewer systems and upgrading capacity. Some smart ass Senator made some crack about getting more lights on and she tried to explain the relationship of capacity to output.
When we moved to the farm the old house there had a fuse box. I tried to run way too much off it and ofcourse I blew fuses left and right...finally I really blew it and we had to have the house rewired.
They are literally trying to rewire Iraq. Trying to do too much with the old system was only going to accomplish so much and then it would begin to fail as the old systems collapsed under the increased demands.
As people move forward in a fast growing economy the basic needs of those people increase with their demands. The old system, as you say, did not even always allow for sewage systems.
So no, I don't expect to hear about the improvements in Iraq, but then again as time passes and the place does not collapse into utter chaos it is beginning to look more like two steps forward and one step back than it does outright failure.
That is just projection from people who want it to fail so that they can say I told you so. It is no more complicated than that.
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