No Good News From Iraq

As American commanders and officials of the administration continue to tout success in the ongoing pacification of Iraq, the numbers show a very different picture altogether. The past three months brought the greatest loss of American lives of any similar period since the initial invasion. The latest poll taken in Iraq shows that 57 percent of Iraqis believe life is no better since the invasion, and may be even worse. Nearly 60 percent believe it will remain the same or get worse five years from now. By what measure can the occupation be called a success?

The American people deserve real answers to the hard questions concerning Iraq. Continuing assurances of “success” are not enough. When will there be support for those assurances? How much longer must we wait to see any progress being made. We hear on a near daily basis of increasing violence in spite of increased numbers of Americans. We need real evidence of progress based on facts or we need to withdraw from Iraq posthaste.