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Two weeks ago on 'This Week', an administration representative of the White House would claim how everything was going so well in Iraq. Also in the discussion was a lady from an NGO. She kept accusing this administration man of not walking the streets, hiding behind security, and not even speaking to Iraqis. He could not deny any of this so he kept ducking her repeated accusations. She was blunt and repeatitive which made it obvious he could not deny those accusations. Then she noted how many times she went into those street and lived with those people. And how unhappy those people are.
Polls show they expect things to get better. Polls also show they want the Americans out so they can get things fixed. Aftger all, when did tank drivers become experts on providing electricity?
Then there is one more fact that goes little reported. It is called, "One Man, One Vote, One Time". The great fear of democracy is that democracy leads too often to an extremist taking power and becoming a dictator. "... One Time". This is what Iraqis fear and expect will probably happen.
And since Americans could not get electricity working in one month, then Iraqis have no belief that American can make a working government.
At least Saddam could provide electricity. Where Saddam provided electricity in only one month, the US still has not provided electricity six month later. Iraqis see this. Iraqi 'little people' don't believe the US will fix anything else. It is why so many Iraqis are easily recruited into attacking the oil pipelines. They still don't have elecricity but are giving their oil to the US.
Retired US Generals are again joining the chorus of those contradicting the George Jr administration. Tonight on PBS Newshour is Gen Zinni who says quite bluntly, "We are stuck". He then says he hopes we can find a way to get out of Iraq. He also says, as so many others, that we need more people in Iraq. And we need the Bremmer team to get out of Baghdad; into provincal capitals where the leadership is really needed.
Like a good MBA, this George Jr administration will solve all problem from Baghdad - centralize bureacracy. We have a serious management problem in Iraq. Not the least of it was exposed by that lady from an NGO who many it bluntly obvious - this administration's people will not even go into Baghdad streets to find out what people are really saying. No wonder they think things are going so well. These are the same people who said Saddam has WMD. At what point do we finally say, "They lie"?
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