7
First Round
A Little Light
Reading On Iraq
."4
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10 December 14 • 2006
iN
ome passages in the lengthy
Iraq Study Group Report
released Dec. 6 read more like
a Maureen Dowd New York Times col-
umn, without the zingers:
•"Significant questions remain about
the ethnic composition and loyalties
of some Iraqi units ... elements of the
Army have refused to carry out mis-
sions."
•"Iraqi police cannot control crime,
and they routinely engage in sectarian
violence!'
•"Each Iraqi ministry has
an armed unit [Facilities
Protection Service], osten-
sibly to guard the ministry's
infrastructure ... In the min-
istries of Health, Agriculture
and Transportation; con-
trolled by Moqtada al-Sadr,
the [FPS] is a source of fund-
ing and jobs for the Mandi
Army"
•"[al-]Sadr has a large fol-
lowing among impoverished
Shia ... He has joined [Iraq's Prime
Minister Nouri al-] Maliki's govern-
ing coalition, but his Mandi Army has
clashed with ... Iraqi, U.S. and U.K.
forces!'
•"Oil production and sales account
for nearly 70 percent of Iraq's revenues.
Iraq produces around 2.2 million bar-
rels a day ... Experts estimate that
150,000 to 200,000 — and perhaps as
many as 500,000 — barrels of oil per
day are being stolen!'
•"Instead of meeting a target of 10
percent, [economic] growth in Iraq is
at roughly 4 percent this year. Inflation
is above 50 percent. Unemployment
estimates range widely from 20 to 60
percent!'
•"The United States has appropri-
ated a total of about $34 billion to
support the reconstruction of Iraq ...
International donors pledged $13.5 bil-
lion ... but less than $4 billion has been
delivered!'
•"To date, the United States has
spent roughly $400 billion on the Iraq
War, and costs are running about $8
billion a month ... Caring for veterans
and replacing lost equipment will run
into the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Estimates run as high as $2 trillion!'
•"Iran has provided arms, financial
support and training for Shiite militias
... the Syrians look the other way as
arms and foreign fighters flow across
their border in to Iraq ..."
Seventy-nine rather simplistic rec-
ommendations were offered in the
142-page report, which implied that
diplomacy with certain undesirables
is more important than U.S. mili-
tary involvement in getting peaceful
results in the region. (Can we talk to
Iran about Iraq if we can't talk to Iran
about nukes?)
Reconciliation of the Shias and the
Sunnis under one government in Iraq is
a key recommendation, but
one startling fact remains:
"The Shia, the majority
of Iraq's population, have
gained power for the first
time in more than 1,300
years!"
Think about it. The
British drew a line in the
sand in 1918 and pro-
nounced the three provinc-
es of Mosul, Baghdad and
Basra: "Iraq!' The Shia have
been the majority population under
Sunni rule since 700, about 1,000 years
before the United States was a country.
How many decades or centuries will
it be before they lay down their arms for
the good of their "88-year-old" country?
National Guard Update
As told in last week's column, the mem-
bers of the Michigan Army National
Guard are coming home for Christmas.
Mike Clark, co-host of the Drew and
Mike Show on WRIF (101-FM) radio, e-
mailed the good news on Dec. 7.
The battalion, known as "the Deuce,"
will finish their combat training in Fort
Dix, N.J. on Dec. 22 and will head to Iraq
on Jan. 2 for a year or more.
"The military doesn't pay for travel
expenses unless it's directly to or from
active duty; and, due to military pro-
tocol, flying is not an option," said Jen
Bayer, A-Btry 1-182 Family Readiness
Group (FRG) spokesperson.
Clark, who was contacted by the FRG
for help, took the story to the airwaves.
As of Dec. 11, buses have been
secured through funds pledged by
Chrysler-Jeep, Rock Financial, Texas
Roadhouse in Taylor, former Detroit
Tiger Denny McLain and others.
Harry Kirsbaum's e-mail address is
hkirsbaum@thejewishnews.com .