[StBernard] The Most Overlooked News Story of 2008

[Westley Annis]

The Most Overlooked News Story of 2008 
by Chuck Norris (more by this author)
Posted 12/02/2008 ET
Updated 12/02/2008 ET


Have you noticed lately that mainstream media are giving less attention to
the war in Iraq, especially concerning our troops' progress? Who doesn't
recognize by now that we live in a time in which there's little, if any,
publishing space for positive military stories about the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan?

CNSNews.com recently reported: "There were only two front-page New York
Times stories that mentioned 'Iraq' in the headline in October 2008 -- there
were 11 in October 2006 and 17 in October 2004. .  The Washington Post ran
four front-page stories that had headlines using the word 'Iraq' in October
2008 -- in October 2006 there were 17 stories, and 27 stories in October
2004."

In July, The Times, a newspaper in the U.K., ran a column that commended
American and Iraqi forces in making significant progress in Mosul, Iraq, and
reaching the "final purge" of al-Qaida in Iraq. Investor's Business Daily
echoed the same sentiment but sharply criticized American mainstream media
for completely overlooking that military success. The media indictment
became so widespread on the Internet that it left the global audience
wondering whether such an oversight was an urban legend.

TruthOrFiction.com, an urban legend-debunking Web site, affirmed this media
Mosul omission by saying: "At the time of our investigation, US media
reports of this were hard to find but we did manage to find a report of
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's announcement on the Fox News site.
For the most part, it appears the mainstream media missed this one."

Here's what they missed:

During the surge in 2007 and early 2008, U.S. forces intensified efforts in
Mosul by pushing out into small-neighborhood bases -- a strategy that proved
successful in routing insurgents from other large cities in the country.

In February 2008, Col. Michael A. Bills, commander of the 3rd Armored
Cavalry Regiment, predicted that U.S. and Iraqi troops would be in full
control of the city by the end of July.

By March 2008, Brig. Gen. Tony Thomas, second in command of coalition forces
in northern Iraq, already was reporting: "So again, we can go anywhere we
want to in Mosul . and we're now forcing the enemy -- boxing them in, if you
will -- into areas that they otherwise had free play in the city. So we've
seized the initiative, and we're slowly but surely eliminating their toehold
in the city."

By June 2008, this city of 2 million people had 14 Iraqi army battalions,
10,000 Iraqi police and 4,000 coalition force soldiers. And they were
utilizing the "Sons of Iraq" (paid volunteers by the U.S.) to control
neighborhoods better. And it was working.


Despite the fact that July 2008 saw an increase in insurgent activity, Lt.
Col. Robert Molinari reported that it was really "nothing out of the norm."
A senior Iraqi commander added: "We've limited their movements with
checkpoints. They are doing small attacks and trying big ones, but they're
mostly not succeeding." American and Iraqi forces clearly were getting the
upper hand, demonstrated then through the dip in the number of U.S.
casualties to the lowest number since the start of the war -- 11 deaths in
the entire country.

Overall, attacks in Mosul and in Ninevah province have declined from 50 a
day at the start of the year to the present number of 10 a day -- almost the
same as the number was in 2006. Open street fighting is a rarity. That is
why Maj. Ra'ad Jalal, an Iraqi officer, said: "The security situation in
Mosul is improving. It's safe here now. I'd be happy to come here even
without all of this protection."

Of course, assaults continue. But they don't diminish the momentous
progress. Capt. Hunter Bowers, who presently is serving on the battlefield
in Mosul, summarized his upbeat thoughts about their progress to me by
e-mail Monday: "We have had some great success here and a lot of it has to
do with the integration of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police."

Unfortunately, instead of reporting these substantial advances being made in
Mosul, mainstream American media have chosen to ignore them, favoring to
continue to report only negative news from the war zones or repeated jabs by
Democratic leaders about the unfounded grounds for the war. (I've been sadly
amazed and gravely amused how often progress in war is played out not on the
battlefield, but in the backrooms of news broadcasting studios.)

With another Pearl Harbor anniversary approaching and in a Christmas season
when the sacrifice of our troops is accentuated by their absence from loved
ones, it's fitting to honor, not overlook, those who fight for freedom. Find
ways to commemorate their courage and commitment. Admonish others to watch
positive and honorable tributes to our service members, such as those on the
Military Channel and those created by director Mike Slee of Zaragoza
Pictures, a documentary filmmaker whose mission also is to capture the
progress of our troops -- including those in Mosul. (See his Mosul footage.)

The fact is American coalition forces have reduced the number of al-Qaida
fighters in Iraq from roughly 12,000 to 1,200, have cornered them in Mosul,
and are successfully gaining the upper hand on their remaining strongholds.
That is why Gen. James Conway, the head of the Marine Corps and a member of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, summarized, "Iraq is now a rear-guard action on
the part of al-Qaida." In fact, he says that security is so good around the
country that for the first time, it "smells like victory," adding that next
year, as many as 20,000 Marines currently deployed will return home.

And just in time for President-elect Barack Obama to begin his withdrawal of
our troops -- an act that likely will be a signal broadcasting victory in
Iraq and likely will earn the new commander in chief credit for military
success. Now there's a 2009 news story that America's mainstream media will
be guaranteed to run over and over.

(In the spirit of Christmas, Chuck is giving away a free chapter from his
current New York Times best-seller, "Black Belt Patriotism." To obtain
yours, go to www.ChuckNorrisNewBook.com. "Black Belt Patriotism" makes a
great Christmas gift for anyone!)