There's good news, too, to be had in Iraq (enough for a few column inches)

[Barrett808]

There's good news, too, to be had in Iraq
By DEROY MURDOCK
Scripps Howard News Service
11-AUG-05

Amid roadside bombs, constitutional squabbles and even a blinding sandstorm on Monday, one wonders if anything is going right in Iraq. Plenty is, actually, although the mainstream media rarely mention such good news.

The journalists' maxim, "If it bleeds, it leads," prevails. Major news outlets correctly focus on the depressing consequences of the Improvised Explosive Devices and car bombs responsible for 70 percent of U.S. military fatalities in Iraq last month. Terrorist assassinations of civil servants and police officers obviously deserve coverage. But it honors neither America's soldiers nor Iraq's selfless patriots to overlook the achievements they share in this new republic.

The growth of locals in uniform is a positive military development.

According to the Brookings Institution's indispensable Iraq Index, (brookings.edu / iraqindex), on-duty Iraqi security personnel have risen from 125,373 in January to 175,700 today. They fight beside coalition forces against terrorists and Baathist holdouts. One joint raid nabbed 22 alleged insurgents in Yusufiyah July 25, while another 10 suspected terrorists were caught in Ramadi Aug. 3. In both cases, the Pentagon reports, citizens offered intelligence that helped Iraqis and their coalition partners nail these killers.

Civic-affairs work by uniformed personnel may have persuaded average Iraqis to furnish useful information. On Aug. 5, GIs and medics from the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, plus Iraqi police, performed health screenings on 200 Mosul children. They also gave these kids soccer balls.

During five such missions since mid-July, some 1,000 kids in Mosul received basic medical attention.

(more)

http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=MURDOCK-08-11-05

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Barrett808]

2. Sure, there's a little "good news"

It's just overwhelmed by the tsunami of horrible news. Every day.

[louis-t]

3. These numbers are misleading

Less than 10% are fully trained and ready.

[RaulGroom]

4. Deroy Murdoch is a hack

National Review, Washington Times guy. Useless tripe.

[Barrett808]

5. And still, this is all he could some up with

Does anybody bother with Chrenkoff's Good News from Iraq site? I gave up on him a long time ago.