As Anbar Returns to Iraqi Control, Will MSM Cite Surge Cynics?
September 1, 2008 - 15:53 ET
Given Hurricane Gustav, the GOP convention—and the MSM's inherent inclination to underreport good news from Iraq—a major story is not getting the attention it deserves. Here's how President Bush described the development [the photo shows U.S. Marine Maj. Gen John Kelly and Anbar Governor Maamoun Sami Rashid signing the handover papers.
Today in Iraq, responsibility for security in Anbar Province was transferred to Iraqi civilian authorities. Iraqi forces will now take the lead in security operations in Anbar, with American troops moving into an overwatch role. Not long ago, Anbar was one of the most dangerous provinces in Iraq. Al Qaeda was in control of almost every major population center, and its leaders intended to turn Anbar province into a safe haven from which to plan and launch further attacks against Iraqis and others in the region, as well as here at home.
Today, Anbar is no longer lost to al Qaeda - it is al Qaeda that lost Anbar. Iraqis - like countless other Muslims across the world - witnessed al Qaeda's brutality first-hand and rejected it. As a result, Anbar has been transformed and reclaimed by the Iraqi people. This achievement is a credit to the courage of our troops, the Iraqi Security Forces, and the brave tribes and other civilians from Anbar who worked alongside them.
On this red-letter day, will the MSM take a walk down memory lane and cite the various members of the media and the body politic who declared the surge a failure and Anbar lost? Being the obliging souls we are, here's a handy compendium of citations, starting with one from the vice-presidential candidate so acclaimed for his foreign-policy expertise.
Elected Officials
Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE): "Even with the surge of troops, in a city [Baghdad] of 6 million people you're talking about a ratio that would still be roughly above one to 100. It's bound to draw down support that we need in other parts of Iraq, including Anbar province. Just thinking that somehow 30,000 forces are going to change the circumstances … what does that do to change the dynamic in Anbar province?" (Senator Joseph Biden, Conference Call With Reporters, 12/26/06)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV): "It's interesting. We have had, this week, the colonel in charge of Anbar Province say that it's a civil war; it's been lost." (PBS's "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer," 9/13/06)
"The situation on the ground has not changed in Iraq. I say that without equivocation. It's changed in Anbar province, but that's all." (Senator Harry Reid, Senate Press Conference, 9/12/07)
"Well, it's changed in one province, one area of Iraq. Of course it's changed there. But it's like the big balloon that you push on one side, and it comes out someplace else." (Senator Harry Reid, Senate Press Conference, 9/12/07)
Good News from Iraq they don't want you to know!
Originally Posted by StoopTroup
