NEWS .

Miracle In Ramadi?

The Bush administration says the recent "Anbar Awakening" heralds a new way of winning in Iraq. The truth, with all due respect to Stephen Colbert, is more complicated.

Published: Nov 28, 2007

The Bush administration says the recent "Anbar Awakening" heralds a new way of winning in Iraq. The truth, with all due respect to Stephen Colbert, is more complicated. Here are six examples of the gap between truth and "truthiness."

TRUTHINESS

Anbar is evidence of the surge's success and that of Gen. David Petraeus.

THE TRUTH

Bush benefited from lucky timing. Sunni tribes fed up with al-Qaida's extremism began an anti-AQI campaign in September 2006, four months before the surge was even announced. As things improved, the White House eagerly took credit.

TRUTHINESS

The Anbar model is being replicated all over central Iraq, including Baghdad.

THE TRUTH

It's working only in places where a majority of both residents and police are Sunni. In other areas, Sunnis view the mostly Shiite police as death squads in uniform.

TRUTHINESS

Sunni tribes are now on our side.

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THE TRUTH

Maybe, but there's no guarantee they won't switch back. Ninety-three percent of Iraqi Sunnis think attacks on U.S. forces are justified.

TRUTHINESS

Defeating al-Qaida is the start of pacifying Iraq.

THE TRUTH

AQI makes up no more than 5 percent of the Sunni-led insurgency. And while the group did its best to stir up sectarian violence, the conflict now has momentum of its own.

TRUTHINESS

Anbar is a model province.

THE TRUTH

Parts of Ramadi and other major cities lie in ruins; municipal services and local governments are almost nonexistent.

TRUTHINESS

Changed military tactics won the day.

THE TRUTH

In Gen. Petraeus' words, "What happened in Anbar is politics."

 

Comments

This article is NOT accurate and is very misleading!!! My husband served in Ramadi for 12 months with the PA Army National Guard (June 2005- June 2006). At the time, Ramadi was an insurgent stronghold. Now, the conditions of Ramadi have TREMENDOUSLY improved- it really is night and day. The military has ALWAYS worked with the local people and sheiks. Al Qaeda threatened the locals if they cooperated with the US troops. The insurgents bullied and threatened the people of Ramadi. My husband told me a story about a young boy whose legs were broken by insurgents simply because the boy was seen talking and playing with our soldiers. How dare the author to suggest that the he recent success was simply a result of "timing." My husband receives e-mails from the soldiers that replaced his unit and the reports are always very positive and encouraging. Has the author of this article even visited Ramadi, or even Iraq for that matter?!? Has the author spoken with the soldiers on the ground over there?!? Better yet, can the author name even 5 cities in Iraq??? Probably not. Please don't let your political bias and agenda cloud your judgment and seriously mislead readers! Why don't you report on the successes in Ramadi such as the the training and recruitment of Iraqi police & military, the schools being built, or installation of sewer systems to name a few. Ramadi didn't have a major infrastructure to begin with- the further west you go, the more remote it is over there...but I guess the author wouldn't know about that though. Why didn't the author report on the parade that the children had through the streets a few weeks back or even the 5K race a few months ago! None of that would have ever been possible this time last year! The author should be ashamed of him/ herself for trying to mislead the readers!!!
by Army wife on November 28th 2007 8:50 PM

When bad things happen (from war casualties to hurricanes and fires), its Bush's fault.
When good things happen, it was luck.
Who's the spin doctor here?
by KJM on November 29th 2007 9:38 AM

Army Wife is so right, the state of denial by the losers in this country never ceases to amaze me.
by Ron Stokes on November 29th 2007 11:56 AM

Sounds like this pencil pusher just needed a story to write about. Let's give credit where it is due. Our Troops!
by K. Durant on November 30th 2007 8:10 PM



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