I can’t wait for the villifciation of this guy as nothing more than a right wing hack:
Auxiliary Bishop Andraos Abouna of Baghdad said he believed media were running a propaganda campaign to discredit the American-led coalition that ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and now runs Iraq.
Bishop Abouna, a Chaldean Catholic, told the Catholic Herald in London that the situation in Iraq is steadily improving rather than descending into a morass resembling the Vietnam War, as often depicted by media outlets.
“It’s getting better but still there are many problems,” Bishop Abouna said. “The first problem is that they need security, then they need water and electricity — and all these things are getting better.”
“The media are exaggerating a lot of things. They should be realistic about the situation in Iraq. Newspapers and television are saying a lot of things that aren’t true. When they go there they can see everything (is changing),” he said.
Liar- it is a quagmire! The left and RW Apple said so! Bush is a warmongerer! We are losing! Vote Dean!
Brian
He *is* a christian. That alone should discredit him with a majority on the loony left.
Kimmitt
Due respect, but most folks know that the US has been slowly improving its abysmal record to date.
However, we keep sending home a US serviceman or woman a day in a bodybag from hostile fire. Something obviously is not peachy-keen.
Norbizness
I definitely agree that added credence should be given to people on the ground, and that no single pronouncement should lead to an entire generalization about how things are going over there. For instance, the fact that Kabul has city council elections should not tell you anything about how things are going in SE Afghanistan, and vice versa.
Sean
Well, now that Auxiliary Bishop Andraos Abouna says things are ok, i feel much better. Our total loss of international credibility, 1 billion dollars and several deaths for every week there, while our poverty and unemployment numbers rocket up really don’t matter anymore, when compared to his authoritative commentary.
That being said, I sure hope things are getting better, because the sooner we’re done there, we can get back to worrying about number 1 – things sure as hell ain’t getting better at home.
Greg
One servicemen a day from enemy fire? You’re joking right? The ratio is more like 1 every 2 days from all reasons of fatality.
Greg
Sorry, didn’t read Sean’s comment. Wow, I had no idea unemployment was still “rocketing”, I must have misread economic anylists saying it was improving.
International credibility is a joke. Who wants to be in bed with Dictator-lover Chirac and Kofi “My heads up my ass” Anann?
No one lied but the international community.
Lybia head of Human Rights… ahahahahahaha
dave
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
Andrew Lazarus
Greg, unemployment is not improving; it is just getting bad less quickly. (New claims fell under the magic 400K number.)
Moe Lane
“Greg, unemployment is not improving; it is just getting bad less quickly. (New claims fell under the magic 400K number.)”
Full cite, please.
Andrew Lazarus
Moe, BLS.
“Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 93,000 in August, and
the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 6.1 percent, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported
today.”
So August’s job loss was really quite a small addition to the 3.3 million jobs lost under GWB, the first president since Hoover to end his term with a minus. (No one believes that 3.3MM jobs will be created in the next 16 months.) But it was still a loss, the 22nd in a row, IIRC. Let’s see about the September figures.
triticale
The Feds take two surveys which produce employment figures. The payroll survey shows 3.3 million jobs lost, but the household survey can only find 600 thousand out of work. As I understand it, the payroll survey would have shown my father, a freelance photojournalist, as having been out of work for the last 25 years of his life, and myself, a tech contractor, as having been out of work for all of the last 6 years, rather than just for a few stretches therein. If a beuty parlor switches to booth rental, that is viewed as a loss of jobs, even if the practicianers are better off as independent operators.