A few of you have chastised me for being too gloomy about Iraq. I think that’s unfair. Only Tuesday, I linked to blogging on the progress in Kurdistan; I’ve made several constructive suggestions; whenever I can, I link to informative blogs from Iraq by writers who want democracy to succeed. I’m just not going to engage in the kind of flim-flam that says all bad news is somehow a deliberate lie by the liberal media. Sorry, but it isn’t. Here’s the latest from Zeyad, who is not echoing Ralph Peters (that’s his photo on the left, showing Iraqi police displaying openly sectarian loyalty). A reader reprimands me for not posting the results of this Brookings poll that shows Iraqis are overwhelmingly glad that Saddam is gone. So am I. I have not disowned this project; I’m just trying to keep my eyes open; and I want to atone in my part for my past misjudgments. But even in the Brookings poll, you find this:
"Q: Do you think Iraq today is heading in the right direction?
Iraqis who answered "yes": Overall = 64%; Kurds = 76%; Shiia = 84%; Sunni = 6%
Q: Thinking about any hardships you might have suffered since the U.S.-Britain invasion, do you personally think that ousting Saddam Hussein was worth it?
Iraqis who answered "yes": Overall = 77%; Kurds = 91%; Shiia = 98%; Sunni = 13%"
I have to say this does not reassure me. The huge discrepancy on sectarian lines is a harbinger of civil war. That Sunnis would prefer Saddam back in power by such huge margins is astonishing. That’s our problem. There’s no point denying it.
The Dish 