[conservative in nyc]

Actual good news from Iraq in the New York Times! Will wonders never cease?

Of course, it's in their least-read Saturday edition... And they can't really report on much due to the security situation... But at least it's a start...

[Valin]

I understand there is going to be a fund raising drive to buy warm clothing for hell.

[mattdono]

To date, Congress has set aside roughly $24 billion for rebuilding Iraq's electrical, water, sewage, oil, transportation and security installations, among other areas, according to an analysis by the George Soros-backed Iraq Revenue Watch.

Well, um...THAT is an "interesting" source?! Sheesshh.

[Ann Archy]

These people are brave.

[daviddennis]

Great article - thanks for posting it!

The Bechtel Corporation may get a lot of flack, but they do a first-rate job on things like this. No wonder their engineers were irked at not getting the publicity they deserved.

D

[hosepipe]

A Shiite treatment plant, fancy that...

[WOSG]

dear senator kerry,

i would like to take this opportunity to congratulate senator kerry on his upcoming nomination.also,thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak my mind. i lost my job this past year. when clinton was president,i worked in a prosperous enterprise and was doing quite well.but in this last year, we had to close operations. far worse, i lost two of my sons in bush's evil war in iraq.they gave their lives for this country,and for what? my pain of losing my sons is indescribable. while it is trival next to the loss of my sons,i regret to say that i also lost my homes as well. i simply have nothing left.

i am a senior citizen with various medical problems. i'm not in a position where i can begin a new career. i was reduced to the point where i am homeless,all because of president bush. and,when i came to the attention of the authorites, did they have any compassion for my misfortune and ailments? no, i was arrested.

if i had any money left,i would donate it to the demorcratic party. if al gore had been elected in 2000, i guarantee you,i would have still have a job,a home and most importantly my sons.

regards,
saddam hussein

[Ruth A.]

Bump for later.

[Tunehead54]

Actual good news from Iraq in the New York Times!

---

No they're just tipping off the insurgents what to hit next - what previously was secret! They expect bad news tomorrow ...

:-(

[endthematrix]

Actually through UN sanctions chlorine was considered dual-use.

Baghdad continues to rebuild and expand dual-use infrastructure that it could divert quickly to CW production. The best examples are the chlorine and phenol plants at the Fallujah II facility. Both chemicals have legitimate civilian uses but also are raw materials for the synthesis of precursor chemicals used to produce blister and nerve agents. Iraq has three other chlorine plants that have much higher capacity for civilian production; these plants and Iraqi imports are more than sufficient to meet Iraq's civilian needs for water treatment. Of the 15 million kg of chlorine imported under the UN Oil-for-Food Program since 1997, Baghdad used only 10 million kg and has 5 million kg in stock, suggesting that some domestically produced chlorine has been diverted to such proscribed activities as CW agent production.

Though the sanctions have kept Iraq from importing items essential for maintaining its water sewage and sanitation system, including chlorine, the tiny elite in Baghdad smuggles in chlorine for their private swimming pools. There has been a boom in private pool construction in Baghdad during the embargo.

Also, from Decisive Force: Strategic Bombing in the Gulf War by Richard G.Davis (1996): "The electrical attacks proved extremely effective... The loss of electricity shut down the capital's water treatment plants and led to a public health crisis from raw sewage dumped in the Tigris River."

[wildbill]

The Times has an affinity for reporting on bull----

So the sewer piece was a natural.