If You’re Looking …..

For some good, original reporting on Iraq that isn’t the same old, tired, regurgitated AP junk, I’ll recommend Bill Roggio. Yeah, I know everyone knows all about Bill, the embedded blogger, but so what. I’ve never really read him before.

Today I was about fed up with the junk I get from the AP …….. you know, so and so many killed today, Iraqi government dysfunctional, some senator some BS about the war, the ISG report, blah blah. It’s the same tired stories, over and over, with no real insight into how the troops are doing, what being on the ground is like and whether things outside Sadr City are going well, or not.

So, I checked out Bill’s site, turns out he is in Fallujah these days. Here’s a small sample of what he’s doing and writing, from a post about his journey to Fallujah.

Camp Stryker:

While waiting to catch the flight to the Green Zone, I spoke to two Army captains, one who works in Civil Affairs, the other with the Military Transition Teams. Both explained how the situation could look very different based on your job, but that the Iraqi police and Army were making real progress. They said the Iraqis’ skills ranged from poor to excellent, but they always saw improvement.

I also overheard an Army specialist sitting behind me curse the media (and I mean curse), saying they didn’t know what they were talking about when it came to Iraq. I talked to him, and explained I’m considered a reporter, and that I won’t argue with his points. I made him uncomfortable. Had he known I was ‘the press’ I think he would have kept it to himself.

Now, isn’t that more interesting than the junk that the AP, Reuters and the rest are passing off as reporting on Iraq?

footnote: By the way, don’t assume this means that I am “for” or “against” the Iraq War, that I advocate withdrawal or “staying the course” or anything else. It’s just a pitch to you to get a different perspective on Iraq, one well worth checking out. I may, or may not, post my own thoughts on Iraq at some point, we’ll see.