Upbeat Iraqi News

The first Iraqi soldier is due to graduate from Ranger Training School this morning.
A former lieutenant in Saddam Hussein's army on Friday will become the first Iraqi to graduate from the Army's Ranger School, a 61-day training ordeal that pushes soldiers to their physical and mental limits in forests, swamps and mountains. "I have a big, huge faith in the future of Iraq and that's why I'm here,'' said Capt. Arkan, who was identified only by his first name to protect him and his family back home.
I can't imagine fighting a strong Iraqi military would be a great recruiting tool for terrorists and insurgents.
Col. Clarence K.K. Chinn, commander of the Ranger Training Brigade, said training international students has been a tradition since the school's founding in 1950. "Once an officer gets training in the United States, there's a loyalty toward this country,'' he said. "We want to build and strengthen our military alliances. What happens with the politicians is a separate matter.''
Since Arkan is returning to his Iraqi unit, I'm guessing that his positive experience here will win over others in his unit.

In other positive news, the Washington Times has an editorial that's worth reading. Gen. Barry McCaffrey is feeling more upbeat about the building of the Iraqi military. I wonder if Gen. Odom thinks that Gen. McCaffrey is in denial, too.
Since Operation Iraqi Freedom began, Gen. McCaffrey has at times been scathing in his analysis of the Bush administration's conduct of the war. But after visiting Iraq and Kuwait from April 13 through April 20, he believes that coalition forces are making substantial progress in training the Iraqis to defend their country against the terrorist insurgency. Under Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who oversees the training of Iraqi forces, the Iraqi Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry "have shown dramatic and rapid growth in capacity and competence." According to Gen. McCaffrey: "The Iraqi army is real, growing, and willing to fight. They now have lead action of a huge and rapidly expanding area and population."

Moreover, U.S. efforts to embed teams of seasoned American officers and noncommissioned officers to guide newly created battalions are working well. "This is simply a brilliant success story," Gen. McCaffrey wrote in an April 25 memo to his colleagues at West Point. At the same time, he emphasizes, it will require "at least two to five years of U.S. partnership and combat backup to get the Iraqi army ready to stand on its own. The interpersonal relationships between Iraqi army units and their U.S. trainers are very positive and genuine."
Let's hope that these reports start spreading to voters. If they hear the drumbeat of positive Iraqi news, then public opinion will change dramatically. Most of the polling on the issue is colored with nothing but negative news. The Agenda Media didn't report anything positive; therefore public opinion was negative. That trend appears to be ending as positive news is being reported more.


Posted Friday, May 5, 2006 10:01 AM

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