First! Now I get to be on the bottom of the list!:D

A better view of the situation in Iraq, pre and post Saddam, then I've seen in a while.

http://afreeiraqi.blogspot.com/2005/04/asking-few-questions-makes-difference.html

Before that time we used to get our news from the Iraqi media mainly. After that, the vast majority of Iraqis started to listen to Monte Carlo radio, BBC and VOA to try and find out what's going to happen to them. Even Ba'athists and Arab nationalists were doing that, as they realized that their fate was going to be decided outside Iraq by powers that have decided not to avoid a conflict with the mad leader anymore and were just waiting for the right moment to get rid of him once and for all.

After Saddam was toppled most Iraqis took a sigh of relief, "Now finally someone sane is going to run things here". They did think of America as a sane power totally replacing a mad one, at least for a while. I say they were relieved not just because they got rid of Saddam, as that meant incridible joy not relief. But It's been also a relief because it was scary to think that your fate is in the hands of an insane man while you can't do anything and you're not even used to such a huge responsibility.

But the Americans did not want to replace Saddam. They did not want to run things the way they wanted without sharing the responsibility with the people, even if they thought their management could fix things and even if this was for a transitional phase.
An iron evil fist was gone but it was not replaced by an "iron good fist" as many Iraqis wished, and things collapsed in a place that has been ruled with extreme force for decades when people were given freedom.

This is one of the main reasons why many Iraqis were and still are disappointed with America. No, these Iraqis do not hate America as most like to think, they're just disappointed with her for not fitting the image they had in their minds; the just tyrant that should've taken full responsibility for some time until they could find their own just tyrant who would make their life much better without forcing them to share a burden and a responsibility they never thought it was among their duties as citizens.

In the same sense, many Iraqis looked for the January elections to bring the long awaited Iraqi savior even if it meant many saviors not just one. They saw the advantage of multiple leaders/democacry and welcomed it but did not expect that these leaders would have so many differences and find a huge difficulty in agreeing on a common major goal.

Thus, Iraqis are brought back again to the same point where they have to ask questions and keep an eye on events. And with time and through these changes, it has become obvious to an increasing number of Iraqis that they can never go back to that idle state were they left everything to whoever in charge and instead they're gradually seeing how important their role in making their lives better, and I have no doubt that soon most Iraqis will find that not only they have a role they should play but that this role is in fact the main one.

I suspect that's the reason nation building is so hard: people who have never had the opportunity to participate or show civic responsibility can't be expected to do so overnight.

Post about a A Special Group of Soldiers at Dadmanly.

Greyhawk, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I have some sort of mental block when it comes to figuring out trackbacks. My blog (a Tripod misery) doesn't support them so far as I know.

But I'll go back and read what you said to do and maybe it will stick this time. You'll know when it does.

Meanwhile, please enjoy this post (riffing off a link from Professor Reynolds) about corruption with the Canadian leadership and what Paul Martin really intended with his proposal of expanding the G8 into the G20.

You'll love this bit of PhotoShop fakery over at The Daily Kos.

I just want to see if Zuniga admits it's a fake.