Top 10 Iraq Myths of 2007

That's the title of this excellent article by Juan Cole in "Informed Comment," the Middle East blog of the Global Americana Institute. I'll leave you to read the details, but I'll list the myths in brief;

10. The U.S. public no longer cares enough about Iraq for it to be a major issue in the '08 elections. Any candidate who thinks that is toast.

9. There have been steps toward political and religious reconciliation in Iraq in '07.

8. The U.S. troop surge stopped an ongoing civil war in Iraq.

7. Iran was supplying roadside bombs to a terror group in Iraq.

6. The U.S. overthrow of Saddam and occupation of Iraq has increased the freedoms for Iraqi women.

5. Progress has been made by the Iraqi government in meeting the "benchmarks" that Bushco set for the (long off, eventual) removal of U.S. troops from the occupation.

4. The Sunni Arab "Awakening Councils" on the U.S. payroll are reconciling with the Shi'ite dominated Iraq government and both are taking on al-Qaeda-in-Iraq together.

3. The Iraqi north is relatively quiet and is enjoying stability and economic growth.

2. Iraq has been "calm" in the fall of 2007 and the Iraqi public, despite grumbling, is not eager to see U.S. troops depart.

1. Reductions in Iraqi violence are directly attributable to the U.S. surge. (Also known as the myth of "Gen. Petraeus is a military genius!")

As one commenter on the article noted, however, the biggest myth remaining in parts of the U.S. public is the myth (deliberately fostered by Bushco and, now, his would-be successors in the GOP presidential race) that Iraq attacked us on 9/11. (Most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi and Osama bin Laden himself is of the Saudi royal family. There have been NO, absolutely zero, plans to attack Saudi Arabia--or even to speak to it harshly about the way it foments Wahabi extremism.) No doubt there are still those who believe that Iraq had WMDs and was an immanent threat to the U.S., too. Sigh.