Optimism grows in Iraq as daily life improves

[red states rule]

Even Germany's left wing Der Spiegel is astonished at the progress being made

Will someone please send this to the messiah, Reid, and Pelosi?




Optimism Grows in Iraq as Daily Life Improves
By Bernhard Zand

There is an unexpected air of normalcy prevailing in Baghdad these days, with consumption flourishing and confidence in the government growing. The progress is astonishing, but can it last?

Pork is available in Baghdad once again. Not just in the Green Zone, where US diplomats can enjoy their spare ribs and Parma ham, but also across the Tigris River, in the real Baghdad, at "Al-Warda" on Karada Street. Bassim Dencha, 32, one of the few Christians remaining in Iraq and the co-owner of Baghdad's finest supermarket, has developed a supply line from Syria. As a result, he now has frozen pork chops and bratwurst arranged in his freezers, next to boxes of frozen French fries and German Black Forest Cakes. And the customers are buying

For four years, selling pork or alcohol in Baghdad was a security risk. But the acts of terror committed by Islamist fundamentalists, who once punished such violations of their interpretation of the Koran with attacks on businesses and their owners, have gradually subsided. The supply of imported goods is also relatively secure today, now that roads through the Sunni Triangle are significantly safer than they were only a few months ago.

"It's worth it again," says businessman Bassim Dencha. "All we need now is enough electricity to reopen our refrigerated warehouse."

Two kilometers down the street, business is booming late into the night at Ali Lami's roadside snack bar. Before the war the establishment, a Baghdad institution, was a favorite hangout for former dictator Saddam Hussein's henchmen and United Nations weapons inspectors alike. Today professors and students from the university, which is once again open every day, come here to eat shawarma, an Arab fast-food dish consisting of shaved meat and salad served in pita bread.

for the complete article

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,563471,00.html

[mundame]

Great. Everything's fine.

Then you won't mind if we bring the troops home, right?

[red states rule]

Great. Everything's fine.

Then you won't mind if we bring the troops home, right?


As soon as AQ is wiped out, and when the Iraq Army and Police can take over security - yes

[mundame]

As soon as AQ is wiped out, and when the Iraq Army and Police can take over security - yes


How many more years will that take? How many more dead Americans?

[red states rule]

How many more years will that take? How many more dead Americans?

How about until the job is done?

As optimism grows for Iraq, it will help the Republicans. If the messiah gets elected, as time goes by, he will try to take credit for Iraq.

[mundame]

As optimism grows for Iraq, it will help the Republicans.

Nothing can help the Republicans. The Republicans have been beyond help for some years now. Certainly Iraq can't help the Republicans: everyone hates Iraq. The Iraqis are such awful people. They cut their own pipelines, they cut each others throats, best thing we can do is get far away from them and let them get on with it.

If we ever do get out of that godforsaken sandpit, no one will ever take the least interest in what happens there.

We would if they got their oil going. The Iranians have oil to export; the Saudis and Kuwaitis have oil to export, there's an article today on how the Kurds in Kurdistan have lots of oil and have signed so many oil contracts and have so much building going on everyone is getting rich there.

Iraqis are too stupid to cash in on any of that. They'll just keep blowing up their pipelines like now and let it all drain away into the sand, polluting what little groundwater they have.

[red states rule]

Nothing can help the Republicans. The Republicans have been beyond help for some years now. Certainly Iraq can't help the Republicans: everyone hates Iraq. The Iraqis are such awful people. They cut their own pipelines, they cut each others throats, best thing we can do is get far away from them and let them get on with it.

If we ever do get out of that godforsaken sandpit, no one will ever take the least interest in what happens there.

We would if they got their oil going. The Iranians have oil to export; the Saudis and Kuwaitis have oil to export, there's an article today on how the Kurds in Kurdistan have lots of oil and have signed so many oil contracts and have so much building going on everyone is getting rich there.

Iraqis are too stupid to cash in on any of that. They'll just keep blowing up their pipelines like now and let it all drain away into the sand, polluting what little groundwater they have.

With 118 days to go untilt the election, Dems have plenty of time to blow it. With their current actions, they are doing their best to do just that

Everyone in the ME is extremly concerned about Iran. Even Syria recently said it was willing to break ties with Iran. I don't know that I believe it, but the fact it was even said is amazing. Amazing what a little freedom and liberty in the ME can do

[retiredman]

With 118 days to go untilt the election, Dems have plenty of time to blow it. With their current actions, they are doing their best to do just that

Everyone in the ME is extremly concerned about Iran. Even Syria recently said it was willing to break ties with Iran. I don't know that I believe it, but the fact it was even said is amazing. Amazing what a little freedom and liberty in the ME can do


liberty and freedom made Syria say that?

[Yurt]

How about until the job is done?

As optimism grows for Iraq, it will help the Republicans. If the messiah gets elected, as time goes by, he will try to take credit for Iraq.

he already is taking credit for the prime minister of iraq saying he wants a timetable...obama said, see, he agrees with "my" position

[mundame]

he already is taking credit for the prime minister of iraq saying he wants a timetable...obama said, see, he agrees with "my" position

Yeah?

If so, he's got a point.

The Bush administration has until Dec. 31 to get an agreement out of Maliki, but why should Maliki bother? There is simply no reason at all to make ANY agreement with Bush about keeping troops in the country, especially since Maliki wants all our troops out.

Whoever comes next, that's the guy to make an agreement with.

There will certainly still be troops there after New Year, and if they are "illegal" in some silly UN sense, WHO in the world CARES. We certainly didn't care about the UN when we went to war with Iraq over the UN's strenous objections.

[5stringJeff]

As soon as AQ is wiped out, and when the Iraq Army and Police can take over security - yes

The Iraqi Army and police can take over the job right now, according to the Iraqi Prime minister. So let's wrap it up already.

[mundame]

The Iraqi Army and police can take over the job right now, according to the Iraqi Prime minister. So let's wrap it up already.


Hooray, Jeff!

[gabosaurus]

As soon as AQ is wiped out, and when the Iraq Army and Police can take over security - yes

:laugh2: As soon as the sun refuses to shine and RSR finally makes an intelligent statement, then the troops can come home :rolleyes:

[red states rule]

:laugh2: As soon as the sun refuses to shine and RSR finally makes an intelligent statement, then the troops can come home :rolleyes:

You really are a bitter little girl these days as you watch your messiah flip flop on his promises

That would explain your increased level of immaturity in your posts recently. You are starting to see your messiah is not bringing you the change you want

[April15]

As AQ is not the target for the invasion and Mission accomplished was the pronouncement some years ago and Osama is unimportant why are the US military even in the gulf region?

[Gaffer]

As AQ is not the target for the invasion and Mission accomplished was the pronouncement some years ago and Osama is unimportant why are the US military even in the gulf region?

saddam was the target of the invasion. It was over after 3 weeks. So that mission was accomplished. Then the occupation began and is ongoing. bin laden is a figure head of aq, his capture or death would only be a PR excersize. Our forces are in the gulf region to protect the oil coming out of the region, which is the life blood of our economy and the world.

Next question.

[mundame]

Originally Posted by April15 http://www.debatepolicy.com/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.debatepolicy.com/showthread.php?p=269482#post269482)
As AQ is not the target for the invasion and Mission accomplished was the pronouncement some years ago and Osama is unimportant why are the US military even in the gulf region?



saddam was the target of the invasion. It was over after 3 weeks. So that mission was accomplished. Then the occupation began and is ongoing. bin laden is a figure head of aq, his capture or death would only be a PR excersize. Our forces are in the gulf region to protect the oil coming out of the region, which is the life blood of our economy and the world.

Next question.

Okay, so it's not supposed to matter whether we catch bin Laden, just because he bombed New York and the Pentagon, that apparently isn't supposed to matter...............

But if our forces are in the Gulf to protect the oil, why has it gone up from $40 then to $147 today, we're still having soldiers killed constantly, and about to have a war with Iran that would stop ALL the oil up?

SOMEthing here doesn't make sense...................


Oh! Wait! I know --------------- It's a total screw-up!

[red states rule]

Okay, so it's not supposed to matter whether we catch bin Laden, just because he bombed New York and the Pentagon, that apparently isn't supposed to matter...............

But if our forces are in the Gulf to protect the oil, why has it gone up from $40 then to $147 today, we're still having soldiers killed constantly, and about to have a war with Iran that would stop ALL the oil up?

SOMEthing here doesn't make sense...................


Oh! Wait! I know --------------- It's a total screw-up!

Gas prices have shot up because of the basic economic principal of supply and demand. You have China sucking up every drop of oil they can get

The US has not built a refinery on about 30 years

About 68% of oil and natrual gas reserves are off limits to exploration

Yet demand for oil continues to increase

[Gaffer]

Okay, so it's not supposed to matter whether we catch bin Laden, just because he bombed New York and the Pentagon, that apparently isn't supposed to matter...............

But if our forces are in the Gulf to protect the oil, why has it gone up from $40 then to $147 today, we're still having soldiers killed constantly, and about to have a war with Iran that would stop ALL the oil up?

SOMEthing here doesn't make sense...................


Oh! Wait! I know --------------- It's a total screw-up!

Catching bin laden would be great but will have no effect on the war with islam. The gulf oil is being protected and the money kept out of the hands of aq. Our soldiers are not being killed constantly. We may have a war with iran and it may or may not imped the oil flow from the region.

RSR covered it well. The prices are based on supply and demand, and on our not doing anything for the last 30 years to increase our own output. It's a screw up alright. A short term screw up on the part of the repubs and long term on the part of the dems.

[red states rule]

Catching bin laden would be great but will have no effect on the war with islam. The gulf oil is being protected and the money kept out of the hands of aq. Our soldiers are not being killed constantly. We may have a war with iran and it may or may not imped the oil flow from the region.

RSR covered it well. The prices are based on supply and demand, and on our not doing anything for the last 30 years to increase our own output. It's a screw up alright. A short term screw up on the part of the repubs and long term on the part of the dems.

And Dems are doing NOTHING to increase our supply, increase refinery capacity - which will lower the price at the pump

No, Dems have more important things on their mind. The election and impeachment of Pres Bush