Kerry Dupont is diminutive and soft-spoken but she has the guts of a Marine. She has been traveling to Iraq and she’s writing about it on her blog.
We blew a tire on the road, there were so many cars with plates from Mosul on that road and though I am able to say I felt no fear, some of my guides were feeling a bit anxious over me being there. That’s the terrible thing. I can handle causing myself fear, but not being the cause for others. The other thing that was disconcerting was watching the driver every time a rock was sent up from a lorry, and hit the windshield with a crack, he would automatically duck his head as a reflex. That brought home the reality of living in Baghdad for the past years to me. I couldn’t possibly feel as scared as most Iraqis, because I haven’t lived in that climate of fear for that long. But I remember too well the feeling immediately following Sept.11 here. Too many have forgotten it. Yes, we were resolved. But most were always waiting for the next attack, specifically in the first week following. I only wish people could keep that in mind when they are losing patience with Iraq. For them, it is like living in NYC every day as the day after September 11, only the attacks don’t stop, so the fight/flight reflex is always just below the surface. And they’ve been doing it for decades. And people wonder why it’s taking “so long”….
Thanks Jeff. Added this one. Like it real.
I agree with you on so many things .. I guess I am going to have to live with disagreeing with you on Iraq … I did two tours in Vietnam … and we did not win it and we were not winning it when we pulled out … and trust me I hate the way we pulled out … we turned our backs on lots of people that trusted us … but the real truth was that they were never going to run out of people to fight us as long as we were there … and we were unable to get a trusted .. by the local people … government in place … even though the local military had achieved a very high level of combat readiness and was more than willing to fight … 130,000 troops are not going to suppress the population no matter how hard or long you try … if enough of the people do not want it … The Green Zone is not Iraq … Maybe a try at just providing air cover for a couple of these missions and no ground troops I do not know the answer … but staying on course and doing the same things we have been doing is not going to work … we broke it … and even though I truly believe that we went in based on a snow job and there were better ways to deal with it .. we need to find some way to fix it as best it can be fixed … but we can not remake their believe system .. they must do that …
I’m sure Jeff will never post about this “friend” in Iraq:
Iraqi Woman at State of the Union Address Turns on Bush
When we came back from exile, we thought we were going to improve rights and the position of women. But look what has happened — we have lost all the gains we made over the last 30 years. It’s a big disappointment.
http://dailykos.com/story/2005/8/27/174736/789