Half Empty?

I heard about an annual report on the progress in Iraq and since I have an interest in how things are progressing over there, I naturally did a search on Google.com, to read up about this new Bowen report.

Talk about a half empty view of the world, see what CNN has to say, gee those leftists over at CNN are so optimistic. To be fair, the link from CNN is actually not about the Bowen Report, I tried to find anything about the Bowen report on CNN, but its not on their front page and it is a waste of time using their search engine to find anything about it. I tried a number of combinations to bring up a link about the Bowen report, but no luck, you would think a Media organisation like CNN would try to make things easy.

I guess a story that paints the wretched America and their Hitleresque President Bush in a good light is not newsworthy enough for CNN. Imagine giving Americans reason to be proud of their country and their soldiers achievements, how ridiculous!!

News results for report on iraq - View today's top stories
	Report on Iraq reconstruction is mixed - San Jose Mercury News - 7 hours ago US admits Iraq could become haven for terror - Guardian Unlimited - 28 Apr 2006 Report says Iraq becoming terrorist safe haven - CNN International - 28 Apr 2006

Well, lets have a look at how terrible this quagmire of blood and mayhem is going. Here are the highlights.

Dozens of firehouses and hundreds of police stations have been rebuilt in Iraq. Thousands of schools are fixed. Millions more Iraqis have access to cellular telephones. And a review of the health care network finds that more than three-fourths of projects are finished but "progress has been significantly diminished by security and management problems."

"Despite certain setbacks, chiefly caused by security problems, the overall picture conveys a sense of substantial progress in the relief, recovery and reconstruction of Iraq," Bowen said. Bowen attributed progress so far to the fact that U.S. and Iraqi officials increasingly are working together on reconstruction projects as the new government has taken shape.

Bowen praised "steady improvement" in rebuilding the justice system, saying that more than 600 police and fire stations, prisons, and court houses have been constructed. But, he added, "The overall security situation ... remains volatile."
In the transportation and communication sectors, Bowen reported that 80 percent of projects to rebuild, refurbish and reopen Iraq's ports, railways, roads, bridges and airports have been completed and that almost 5.2 million more Iraqis now have access to mobile phone service than before the war started.

Additionally, Bowen reported that more than 90 percent of education projects have been completed, including the repair of 5,108 schools and the training of more than 47,000 teachers.

Lest anyone accuse me of being too optimistic over this whole bloody mess that that crazy American created, there are also setbacks. Hopefully we won't huddle in a corner and weep hysterically and start drawing up exit strategies and white flags as a result.

But oil and gas production, which fuels Iraq's fragile economy, has yet to return to levels before the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 despite slight improvements in recent months. The main reason: insurgent attacks on facilities.

And a review of the health care network finds that more than three-fourths of projects are finished but "progress has been significantly diminished by security and management problems," according to a report being released Monday.
Although Bowen expects most projects to be turned over completely to the Iraqi government by years' end, he said, "For transition to succeed, Iraqi must ensure that its ministries are ready to receive and capably manage completed projects."

That, he said, includes safeguarding facilities from insurgents, who have sabotaged progress by attacking work sites, including oil, gas and electrical facilities.

In an audit accompanying the report, Bowen found that Task Force Shield - an effort to help Iraqis protect 340 important oil, gas and electrical facilities, about 4,340 miles of pipeline and about 8,680 miles of transmission lines - "failed to adequately meet its goals."

Updating his previous reports, Bowen said fewer than half of the reconstruction projects in those areas are finished, and it could take an additional two years to complete all construction. Bowen attributed the poor oil and gas production to the ability of insurgents to attack facilities and to investors' hesitance to engage in that part of Iraq's economy, given the tenuous security environment and the fledgling state of the government.

Read the full report and you will note that all the setbacks in Iraq are due to Insurgent activity. Don't forget these insurgent 'freedom fighters' and their leftist allies are all working to free the Iraqi people from the Imperialist American boot heel.