With Basra’s provincial budget climbing to $300 million this year, inexperienced officials are struggling to manage and spend it

I’m sure they’ll learn fast enough how to spend other peoples money. Politicians seem to have a knack for that.

writing it off without waiting to see how the story would actually end.

But that has been the nature of the leftest MSM. Opinions only apply, not facts.

Go back and read Steven Vincent’s “red zone” blog for the relevant info prior to his death. Now, the atmosphere might be freer, but my guess is the blood sucking pols are still in place. In which case, reading Steven, there was plenty of reconstruction money going in there, it just wasn’t being used for that most of the time.

Obama or Die

The authorities in Oslo have spent years just trying to implement a new public transit ticketing system. Yet somehow Norwegians, like Reuters, expect that Iraq’s entire government and infrastructure should be in place over night.

That what the neo-conservatives told everyone to expect. But not only is the government not functioning properly the war – specifically the fighting – hasn’t stopped yet and continues on indefinetly.

But Reuters can’t say that, because the reason Maliki is in and Saddam is out is George W. Bush, and Reuters can NEVER say anything good about George W. Bush. It’s against their religion.

Tony737 on July 11, 2008 at 10:02 AM

Agreed.

My take is that Bush has been remarkably successful as an executive, but a disaster as a leader. While it’s one thing to not be ruled by polls and to have courage of your convictions, it’s also another thing–if you would lead–to lead.

He seems to have given up on leading at so many junctures and just taken solace in the belief that history will vindicate him.

Which it likely will, but it’s still his job to make his case for his actions, and I wish he’d done a better job.

Agreed.

I put some of the blame on the Bush Admin. for not working to counter the media spin. How hard would it be to give weekly updates on the progress? The military does it, but who sees it?

Nugai on July 11, 2008 at 8:07 AM

I’d be afraid to take that bet. Nuff said!

To me, the article gave a pretty good look at the situation in the area, and I’d call this the money quote: “People are now looking forward to the next phase, the next stage of their lives, when Basra will become more prosperous.”

Also this: “And local government spending and development is hampered by the lack of planning and technical expertise, a hangover from decades of top-down control under the late dictator Saddam Hussein.”

Not a blasting of the evil US, but a recognition that the problems are the result of Saddam, the dictator no less.

Again, to me the article said that progress is obvious, that there’s a lot of work to do and problems to solve, but that the people in Basra are in a position and a frame of mind to do the work and solve the problems.

Hard for me to beef with that.

The use of military bases in Iraq to project US power into the region to carry out regime change in Iran and elsewhere had been an essential part of the neo-conservative plan for invading Iraq from the beginning.

And here we thought it was about Oil.

The local and national government have had twelve weeks to create a plan for a city of millions.

God created the world in seven days what’s the beef here- just saying!

Seriously, the MSM is slowly killing itself off and stories like this are not helping.

Keemo on July 11, 2008 at 8:24 AM

I’ll second that. Well said.

This goes hand in hand with our commie buddy Gareth Porter over at the Asia Times this morning… Bush Outfoxed

One way or another the press will not allow victory to ruin our lives.

Screw Reuters and all other members of the MSM. These fools should spend some time facing up to their own failures.