http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/webchat/webchat_iraq.shtml
But of course what he thinks doesn't really matter. If it did, he'd be blowing up US troops.
*************
Sigh.
By this you mean, if I'm interpreting correctly, Salam's support for the invasion makes him the un-darling of the anti-invasion left who prefer to pay attention to guerilla activities perhaps even cheering them on in their secret hearts.
I don't know these ghouls. I'm sure they exist but people who delight in the deaths of American soldiers don't show up on my radar of folks' with worthwhile opinions. Come, let us reason together: it is possible for more than one thing to be true at a time: Saddam was a monster, the Iraqi people needed to be rid of him AND the American invasion, launched for reasons of piracy and perceived geo-political advantage was not the way to accomplish this. It's done now and we'll have to hope (and work) for the best outcome.
Salam seems to understand this rather clearly. I turn your attention to this excerpt from the webschat:
"Yes, I support the ousting of the regime. Most Iraqis don't have any problem with the coalition coming in. We needed their help. It was never going to happen any other way. I don't think they exaggerated the hardship of life. After 25 years it is a bit suspicious that they look at how Iraqis feel about the regime and publish Amnesty reports which were written years ago. The US was supportive of Saddam during the 80s. When Halbaja happened, the US knew about it. They sent Rumsfeld to tell Saddam not to do it again. Now suddenly they care, so this is what makes people suspicious. Iraqis and the coalition wanted this outcome for different reasons. I hope we can work it out in the end. There was a massive media campaign saying "We're hear to liberate the Iraqis" but we're not so stupid. If they really meant it, they'd have done it 10 years ago when Saddam was killing thousands of people down in the Shia region."
This is a subtle argument which takes into account past US support for Saddam and also acknowledges the differing agendas of the Iraqi people and the 'coalition.'
The problem now, as I see it, is that Salam's hope that these groups will be able to "work it out in end" is unrealistic. Not because many Iraqis aren't willing and able to work with others to rebuild their country but because the 'coalition' has demonstrated neither the will nor the expertise to-date to help things along in a direction that would be helpful to the Iraqi people.
I think Salam knows this but is hoping for the best to make each day more bearable.
Riverbend, another Baghdad blogger, is not so sure...
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
DRM
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