Ross Mackenzie: The Dismal Scene Re Terror, Iraq - How to Move the Disengaged?

The Richmond [VA] Times-Dispatch ^ | June 5, 2005 | Ross Mackenzie

[quidnunc]

The nuclear option, Social Security, John Bolton; Paris Hilton selling hamburgers or something; "Deep Throat" starring — masquerading? — as Mark W. Felt. Those topics are consuming the news columns. But what about … Iraq?

Let's review.

• The pace of killing goes on — and not only for Americans trying to secure the place. During the past 18 months, comrade Zarqawi and other al-Qaeda sympathizers have been dispatching Iraqi civilians at the rate of 20 per day.

• Zarqawi himself may have been wounded in the lung — one of the more hopeful indicators of a general pacification coming on.

• American forces continue to train up Iraqi troops — with mixed results.

• At the governmental level, dignitaries still struggle toward drafting a constitution. Here's to the resulting document binding the Iraqi people more successfully than the constitution of the European Union — consisting of several hundred pages containing 435 annexed protocols — has bound Europeans.

• In the U.S. Congress, two things:

(1) The estimable deliberative body has wandered at last toward making the connection between non-enforcement of immigration law and the terror threat: A bill requiring the states to verify whether applicants for driver's licenses are legal immigrants awaits presidential signature. (2) In the House, a measure has failed that would have barred women from Army forward support companies that embed with ground combat units. Hey, hey, ho, ho: We want women in combat roles!

-snip-

[fatnotlazy]

Oh mah Gawd, it's a QUAGMIRE!

(Sarcasm off)

Can't these so-called journalists find something positive to write about? There is plenty there, but they just ignore it.