In Iraq, the Day After The War, in a Sense, Is Over.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/01/AR2009010102079.html?wpisrc=newsletter ^ | 2 Jan 09 | By Anthony Shadid

[elhombrelibre]

BAGHDAD Maybe it was the only shot heard for days in a neighborhood once ordered by the cadence of gunfire. Perhaps it was the smiles at checkpoints and the shouts of Iraqi policemen navigating the always snarled traffic. "God's mercy on your parents," they beseeched. "God's blessings on you." Maybe it was the music box still playing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" at a kiosk overflowing with Christmas tree decorations and heart-shaped red pillows.

For anyone returning to Baghdad after spending time here during its darkest days two years ago, when it was paralyzed by sectarian hatred and overrun by gunmen sowing despair, the conclusion seemed inescapable.

"The war has ended," said Heidar al-Abboudi, a street merchant.

[elhombrelibre]

The war the Left said we couldn’t win is over ping.

[Badeye]

We won.

Always be sure to point that uncomfortable fact out to any Liberal you run across.

Forever.

[elhombrelibre]

American success is a troubling thing to them.

[the_devils_advocate_666]

What page in the WaPo did this run on I wonder...

[domenad]

Don’t forget Senator Reid: “This war is lost.”

[griswold3]

I’m sure that some ‘progressive’ will say that the Obama election won the Iraq war. Never fails.

[cll]

Don’t worry. 0 will claim victory for himself.

[Allegra]

This war was never lost except in the imaginations of the left, but it is truly amazing to see the transformation that has taken place.

Baghdad is a functioning city again and thriving. The Iraqis are upbeat, positive and full of hope for their future.

They are looking forward to voting at the end of this month.

Iraq is a huge success story in the making and the MSM will probably never acknowledge that.

[jveritas]

An amazing VICTORY.

God Bless President Bush and our brave troops.

[elhombrelibre]

I always thought that it would end something like this with the press simply choosing to ignore the story once it didn’t serve their agenda of undermining the president. I would imagine that many Americans will draw the wrong conclusions due to this spiking of any good news by the MSM.

[TheThinker]

Bumper stickers proclaiming the Iraq War is won should be mass produced and proudly displayed for anti-American liberals everywhere to see.

[elhombrelibre]

The MSM doesn't like the DoD policy “Don't ask. Don't tell,” unless it's about who won the Iraq War. Then, it's a great description for their coverage of this once burning news item.

[Badeye]

Always has been, always will be.

[SueRae]

Thank you for posting your first hand observations, always. Almost everything I read from the media will never acknowledge the successes. Not just the big battles but the everyday, person by person progress that you tell us about.

[Salman]

The Iraq campaign may be over, but the war against the United States (whatever you want to call it) continues.

Eternal vigilance!

[TommyDale]

In Iraq, the Day After The War, in a Sense, Is Over.

Punctuation, when overused, can be irritating, especially with too many commas, as seen here.

[elhombrelibre]

I think, as do you, the Washington Post, if it had any sensible editors, would have, probably, considered, regardless of what the original writer would have wanted, considered a less, albeit not certainly true, choppy, type of sentence, but let me say, without further comment, that this, at least for now, is only my opinion, and that this opinion may, or may not, be different tomorrow.

[Timmy]

Did anyone actually read the article? To me, it concludes that there is only an uneasy peace, but that nothing good has been accomplished and it was all a waste. Once again, it comes across as the US was the "bad" guy in the whole thing.

[Lysandru]

Boy is this a begrudging, left-handed sort of tribute to our victory. It’s like this writer was doing this in preference to having a colonoscopy.