Terry Everett, October 6, 2003

In the five months since the conclusion of major hostilities in Iraq, steady progress has been made in restoring order and everyday life in a nation the size of the state of California. This headway is seldom, if ever, reported by our major news media, leaving the American public with the false impression that Iraq is a nation in turmoil.

Turn on the evening news or pick up the morning paper and most likely all you'll see about Iraq are stories of attacks on America soldiers and the angry shouts of militant Saddam loyalists. A daily diet of such reporting can quickly cause alarm in anyone. Unfortunately, the major media outlets have scaled back their embedded reporters in Iraq and most tend to congregate in Baghdad, focusing only on the most sensational events. This serves to filter and distort what is going on throughout the huge nation.

Before I personally visited Baghdad and smaller cities outside the Iraqi capital, I, too, had wondered if the press accounts of widespread Iraqi resentment of Americans were true. What I saw earlier this summer was what many of my colleagues in Congress are still discovering for themselves as they travel to Iraq; the bulk of the Iraqi people are forging ahead to improve their country.

When I arrived in Baghdad, I was immediately struck by the size of the city and its bustling appearance. Iraqis were out everywhere living their lives and looking hopefully to the future. There was little evidence of war or destruction from our allied bombing campaign. Indeed, it is not the effects of war that Iraqi's are struggling against, but rather the decades of neglect of their dictator who spent billions of dollars for his colossal palaces to the detriment of roads, bridges, utilities, hospitals, schools, agriculture, and on and on.

Do the Iraqi people hate us? You'd think so after watching a week of our national news. Yet, our group routinely received smiles and positive feedback from children and passersby. A recent opinion poll conducted by The Zogby Group indicated that 70 percent of Iraqis said they expect their country and their personal lives to be better five years from now. Sixty percent were opposed to establishing an Islamic Iraqi government, and more than two-thirds polled wanted Coalition troops to remain in Iraq at least another year. A recent Gallop survey conducted in Baghdad noted that Iraqis by a two-thirds margin (62 to 30 percent) say that ousting Saddam Hussein was worth any personal hardships they have since experienced.

Let there be no mistake. Iraq is a magnet for terrorists and Saddam holdovers who pose a danger to our military. However, such risk must be put into perspective. Iraq is a huge country and American and Coalition forces number over 150,000. While the relatively small number of attacks against our forces are given front page headlines here, you don't hear about the 8,000 individual reconstruction projects that have been completed in just three months, or the 56,000 Iraqis who have been trained, armed and equipped to defend their country, or that virtually all major Iraqi hospitals and universities have been reopened.

The effort to bring about democracy to a nation long persecuted is not going to be accomplished overnight. It will take several years of commitment from the United States and our allies. However, our involvement in Iraq is a sound investment in the stability of a country which was once a base for terrorism. Most importantly, a free and democratic Iraq will pay dividends toward Middle East peace and increase security here at home. Rest assured, you won't likely hear that on the evening news.

Congressman Terry Everett represents the 2nd Congressional District of Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives.