February 21, 2005
ON TO RAMADI:
Devastated city of Fallujah begins rising from the ashes (MARK MOONEY, 2/21/05, New York Daily News)
This shattered city overrun by U.S. troops to root out terrorists is coming back to life and American officers brag it's now the safest place in Iraq.In the two months since the gunfire subsided, the bodies have been collected and rubble cleared from the streets. The Marines have recovered more than 400 weapons caches, destroyed 400,000 guns, more than 100,000 shells and nearly 800 roadside bombs.
Generators hum, producing some light at night for the first time since November. Shops are stocking up again.
About a dozen schools have opened because the children are back. They emerge from doorways or from behind piles of rubble in cheerful packs, hello-ing Marines or waving shyly.
About 60,000 people have returned to the city that was home to 300,000 before the November offensive. Many have overcome the paralyzing sight of the destroyed city and have begun rebuilding blasted walls and shoveling debris from kitchens and bedrooms.
The biggest change is the lack of gunfire.
"Fallujah is probably the safest place in Iraq" - a comment frequently made by Marines - said Lt. Col. Keil Gentry.
We were promised Stalingrad.... Posted by Orrin Judd at February 21, 2005 4:19 PM
We got it, too.
Stalingrad was reoccupied as well.
I fail to get your point.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at February 21, 2005 5:04 PMNot surprising.
Posted by: oj at February 21, 2005 5:12 PMPeter:
In Harry World there are a million dead in Fallujah, which lasted three years, and the bad guys retain control.
Posted by: oj at February 21, 2005 6:37 PMDon't forget, at Stalingrad von Paulus surrendered, against the express command of Hitler.
As much as the Left would love to see an American white flag, it ain't gonna happen, in Iraq or anywhere else. The surrenders in the press and on Capitol Hill don't count.
Posted by: jim hamlen at February 21, 2005 8:09 PMi feel sympathy for harry...his side lost in falleujah. don't feel so bad, you'll always have stalin :)
Posted by: cjm at February 21, 2005 10:12 PMThe experts who promised us 'Stalingrad in Fallujah' were the same bozos who promised us the 'Arab street' would rise in rebellion if we invaded Iraq, that the 'horrible Afghan winter' would make fighting a war against those 'brave Taliban that humiliated the Soviets' completely impossible, who said that elections in Iraq were impossible, who said that if the Shia won there would be a theocracy taking orders direct from Iran's mullahs or from Khomeini from beyond the grave(perhaps through Walter Mercado), who claimed that Ariel Sharon would blow up the entire Middle East because of his Hitlerian need for Lebensraum, ad infinitum ad nauseam.
If you are an MSM-designated expert, do you ever have to be right so long as you mouth the shibboleths of the day? How long can you continue to be considered an expert if you are never, ever, ever right? Robin Wright and Stephen Cohen still get air time so I guess the answer is 'forever.'
Posted by: Bart at February 22, 2005 7:59 AMThat would be Harry.
Posted by: oj at February 22, 2005 8:06 AM