Far from media focus: steady democratic progress in Iraq

I have been surfing around the blogosphere the last few days and I have seen a great deal of defeatist attitudes out there. Most of them are from the left, but that is to be expected since they are basically terrorist appeasers. Then there are the extreme leftists that are actually rooting for a tererorist victory. One only need to go to Democrat Underground to find them. The irony there, of course, is if the terrorists were to win, those at DU would be the first they would do away with. The MSM has ignored as much as possible any good news from Iraq, including the slow but steady progression in democracy. Many tend to forget that in our infancy as a Republic, it took years to get things in place. A. Heather Coyne gives an update on the progress in Iraq in her column.

"In spite of a constant threat from the various insurgencies over the past year, Iraqi government agencies, political parties, and civil society organizations have gradually expanded their capabilities and activities. They will tell you how much more they could have done had they not been constrained by security threats or - almost as important - the lack of reliable infrastructure, but what they have accomplished already is admirable, as is their unflagging determination in the face of these threats and constraints.

There is a phrase I hear in almost every conversation with Iraqis that captures the mood of this process: hutwa bi hutwa, or "step by step."

I hear it from National Assembly members talking about writing the new constitution, from anticorruption watchdogs trying to monitor the government, and from women's groups planning a campaign to reduce violence in schools.

The lead-up is the same: The conversation turns to the magnitude of a task at hand, and the seemingly insurmountable challenges involved. There is a shrug of the shoulders, a resigned smile, and the words hutwa bi hutwa. "Step by step" is the way Iraqis reconcile their great hopes for the future with recognition of the slow, painful march it will take to get there."

What the MSM fails to report is the strong determination of the Iraqi people to make there new found democracy work. The MSM is still focussed on the terroists and their attacks. Some of the MSM even speculating on a civil war. Once again, they just do not get it.

"While the media continue their longstanding tendency to focus on the most dramatic and destructive events - the capture of a terrorist, a deadly attack - the real story changes too gradually to make headlines: the steady stream of volunteers at recruiting stations that bit by bit brings force numbers up to significant levels, the increasing numbers of tips to the police, the growing sense of public ownership of the newly trained forces.

The same applies to the political process. Most Americans hear only about the milestones: the elections, the failure to form a government, the selection of a partial cabinet. But these headlines do not reflect the constant level of effort Iraqis are putting into the process of rebuilding political and governmental institutions.

The long delay in announcing the government was certainly frustrating to Iraqis, who want to see concrete signs that their participation in the elections was meaningful; that they really do have a say in their government. But the process, while painfully slow, is moving through necessary stages to reach the next step."

The journey from total repression to freedom is often a slow one, with pitfalls along the way. There will be setbacks, as there were with our journey to freedom back in the late 1700's. There is the added danger of terrorist activity, which is being orchestrated not by Iraqi's but by foreigners such as Zarqawi and his demented followers. The Iraqi people are striving to get all the necessary steps completed so that they too can enjoy the fruits of freedom and democracy. Those telling you any differently are deluding themselves. - Sailor