Al Qaeda in Iraq on the Ropes?

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

I don't think the majority of Iraqis supported Al Qaeda. All it takes are a few supporters to harbor and aid terrorists. My many friends who have gone to Iraq have all said how badly misunderstood the Iraqi people are. The news would have you think that they are all toting RPGs, killing Americans, and teaching their kids how to build shaped charges. In reality, according to my friends, the vast majority of Iraqis are decent, generous, friendly people who want nothing to do with the war. I actually have a lot of sympathy for the average Iraqi who does not care about global politics and just wants to go to work, put food on his family's dinner table, and raise his kids.

Just about every person I have talked to that served in Iraq have said these things. The Iraqi population wants us there and wants us to help them. But it is a double edged sword because as a country the populous was ruled by an iron hand for so long they largely have no idea how to fight for themselves or even simply govern themselves. They want us but part of it is their learned need to rely on others.

The problem that many, like myself, have had is that the reporting on the war never actually explains what is really going on. We see all the headline grabbing stuff but never see the context or the whole picture. I think the media is less biased towards Bush and more just incompetent. They seem lazy and unable to actually research and understand. These are the people we rely on the give us our news and explain it. They do a poor job.