Cole - Top Ten Myths about Iraq in 2005

One of my favorite blogs, that I have not linked to recently, is Juan Cole's Informed Comment. It has always incurred the wrath of the right wing. No surprise there. But it has also recently caught a lot of flack from the left side of the aisle. Cole is no pacifist, and he has not been supportive of the idea of a simple withdrawal from Iraq. For some, that is unacceptable. Not me. Maybe it comes from having two nephews serving in the military. Maybe I'm just too MOR. Maybe I just distrust simple minded solutions.

Against that backdrop, you can see why I really like his recent Top Ten Myths about Iraq in 2005

1. The guerrilla war is being waged only in four provinces...
2. Iraqi Sunnis voting in the December 15 election is a sign that they are being drawn into the political process and might give up the armed insurgency...
3. Iraqis are grateful for the US presence and want US forces there to help them build their country...
4. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, born in Iran in 1930, is close to the Iranian regime in Tehran...
5. There is a silent majority of middle class, secular-minded Iraqis who reject religious fundamentalism...
6. The new Iraqi constitution is a victory for Western, liberal values in the Middle East...
7. Iraq is already in a civil war, so it does not matter if the US simply withdraws precipitately, since the situation is as bad as it can get...
8. The US can buy off the Iraqis now supporting guerrilla action against US troops...
9. The Bush administration wanted free elections in Iraq...

Cole is genuinely more interested in the truth of what is happening in Iraq and the Middle East than any particular political agenda. It just so happens that this bent makes him a liberal ally. Funny how that works...