IT has been a long time coming, but anti-war campaigners are finally admitting something good has come out of the liberation of Iraq two years ago.
The turning point came in January as eight million courageous civilians risked life and limb to vote for a regime that might not slaughter them.

It was accompanied by Libya’s decision to end its hostilities to the West.

And it gathered pace as first the Palestinians, then the Egyptians and finally — astonishingly — the Saudis began to nod in the direction of democracy.

As the thirst for democracy gathered pace, Syria risked being driven out of Lebanon and ex-Soviet tyrannies began to topple in Eastern Europe.

Now the mood of the world has changed towards the allied invasion which ousted evil Saddam Hussein.

For all the mistakes made in the immediate aftermath of the near-bloodless victory, there is now more than a glimmer of hope for Iraq’s future.

Most of the credit, grudgingly, has gone to American President George Bush.

Virtually none, until now, has been attached to Tony Blair, who risked all to support Britain’s greatest ally.

April 2003 ... troops and Iraqis
pull down Saddam statue

It is Mr Blair’s own Labour supporters who remain hardest to convince the war was worth the candle. Muslim-dominated constituencies vowed to give the PM a “bloody nose” in the election.

Leftwing organs like the BBC, The Guardian, The Mirror, the New Statesman and The Independent led a vicious campaign of personal denigration against Mr Blair.

They revelled in embarrassing the intelligence services and gloated when the Prime Minister was hauled before the Hutton Inquiry.

Now many have been forced to eat their words.

To its credit, The Independent led the way yesterday with a page one picture of a British trooper laughing with young Iraqi girls.

Its headline read: “Iraq: is the tide turning?”

Dec 2003 ... US troops find
Saddam Hussein hidden in pit

The anonymous story — not by its anti-American, anti-Israeli Robert Fisk — says the “nightmare may be coming to an end”. “Attacks on US forces are down from 140 a day to 30 a day,” it says.

“Casualty figures are down. So are assassination attempts.

“US forces believe they can reduce forces by up to 40,000. In Baghdad and Washington, the feeling is growing that the worst might just be over.”

The scale of this momentous conversion is impossible to exaggerate.

It compares only with the extraordinary admission by Lebanon’s Muslim leader

Wallid Jumblatt that the Iraqi invasion was “the start of a new Arab world”.

Tony Blair is blamed by doubters for misleading the public, toying with intelligence and ignoring the corrupt UN.

He was isolated by French, German and Russian leaders — their fingers deep in Iraq’s corrupt coffers. Had he waited for approval, millions of Iraqi people would still be risking death and torture under Saddam Hussein and his murderous sons, Uday and Qusai.

Sometimes, it is clear, the ends justify the means.

Sep 2004 ... an Iraqi weeps for son killed by rebel bomb

Defence Editor Tom Newton Dunn writes:

Two things have broken the back of the insurgents in Iraq over the last 12 months, British and US chiefs believe.

The first is a series of crushing military defeats.

But the second is far more powerful — it is the will of the ordinary Iraqi people.

In the last six months of 2004, the gruelling cat and mouse game against the rebels climaxed in a handful of major battles.

For the Americans, that meant Najaf in August and Fallujah in November. And for the Brits, it came about in a series of ever more bitter confrontations in the long hot summer at Basra and Al Amarah. At the end of every one, Saddam’s die-hards in the north and the Shiite Muslim fanatics of the Mehdi Army in the south were left with many thousands dead.

A lot of those victories were down to the grit and determination of the average squaddie on the street who proved courageous time and again.

One of those was 23-year-old Private Johnson Beharry, who was rightly awarded the first Victoria Cross in 23 years for his extraordinary valour in rescuing more than 30 comrades and then going back out for more the next day.

But as well as decimating their numbers, the mental effect on the rebels was just as devastating.

Many potential recruits began to question whether certain death was really worth it. But more important than any bullets and bombs thrown at the enemy was the psychological effect of one single day — January 30, Election Day.

In an amazing crescendo of public anger, eight million Iraqi people came out to defy terror to choose their own future for the first time.

Jan 2005 ... woman shows
mark after casting her vote

It was a truly humbling experience for all of us journalists and soldiers alike to see the courage on their faces that day and to hear how voters spat on the charred corpses of suicide bombers.

It was an overwhelming national message to the insurgents — they had had enough.

The only way any terrorist insurgency is beaten is when the ordinary people withdraw their support.

Terrorists can’t hide in a hostile crowd. As British forces chief in Iraq, Lt Gen Sir John Kiszely said in his farewell interview last week after six tough months in Baghdad: “I see a changing mood in the Iraqi people, with a greater degree of optimism and self confidence.”

The utterly-wrong Vietnam comparison was all the rage among the chattering classes six months ago.

Now, you won’t even hear the MP for Baghdad South George Galloway saying that any more.

Instead, top brass behind the scenes are seriously talking about fixing a date for when to begin the long withdrawal.

It is likely to start by the end of this year.

Why will it be time to bring Our Boys home then?

Because it looks more and more like their job really will be well and truly done.
























By TREVOR KAVANAGH
Political Editor

IT has been a long time coming, but anti-war

campaigners are finally admitting something good has

come out of the liberation of Iraq two years ago.
The turning point came in January as eight million

courageous civilians risked life and limb to vote

for a regime that might not slaughter them.

It was accompanied by Libya’s decision to end its

hostilities to the West.

And it gathered pace as first the Palestinians, then

the Egyptians and finally — astonishingly — the

Saudis began to nod in the direction of democracy.

As the thirst for democracy gathered pace, Syria

risked being driven out of Lebanon and ex-Soviet

tyrannies began to topple in Eastern Europe.

Now the mood of the world has changed towards the

allied invasion which ousted evil Saddam Hussein.

For all the mistakes made in the immediate aftermath

of the near-bloodless victory, there is now more

than a glimmer of hope for Iraq’s future.

Most of the credit, grudgingly, has gone to American

President George Bush.

Virtually none, until now, has been attached to Tony

Blair, who risked all to support Britain’s greatest

ally.

April 2003 ... troops and Iraqis
pull down Saddam statue

It is Mr Blair’s own Labour supporters who remain

hardest to convince the war was worth the candle.

Muslim-dominated constituencies vowed to give the PM

a “bloody nose” in the election.

Leftwing organs like the BBC, The Guardian, The

Mirror, the New Statesman, valleyboyabroad and The

Independent led a vicious campaign of personal

denigration against Mr Blair.

They revelled in embarrassing the intelligence

services and gloated when the Prime Minister was

hauled before the Hutton Inquiry.

Now many have been forced to eat their words.

To its credit, The Independent led the way yesterday

with a page one picture of a British trooper

laughing with young Iraqi girls.

Its headline read: “Iraq: is the tide turning?”

Dec 2003 ... US troops find
Saddam Hussein hidden in pit

The anonymous story — not by its anti-American,

anti-Israeli Robert Fisk — says the “nightmare may

be coming to an end”. “Attacks on US forces are down

from 140 a day to 30 a day,” it says.

“Casualty figures are down. So are assassination

attempts.

“US forces believe they can reduce forces by up to

40,000. In Baghdad and Washington, the feeling is

growing that the worst might just be over.”

The scale of this momentous conversion is impossible

to exaggerate.

It compares only with the extraordinary admission by

Lebanon’s Muslim leader

Wallid Jumblatt that the Iraqi invasion was “the

start of a new Arab world”.

Tony Blair is blamed by doubters for misleading the

public, toying with intelligence and ignoring the

corrupt UN.

He was isolated by French, German and Russian

leaders — their fingers deep in Iraq’s corrupt

coffers. Had he waited for approval, millions of

Iraqi people would still be risking death and

torture under Saddam Hussein and his murderous sons,

Uday and Qusai.

Sometimes, it is clear, the ends justify the means.

Sep 2004 ... an Iraqi weeps for son killed by rebel

bomb

Defence Editor Tom Newton Dunn writes:

Two things have broken the back of the insurgents in

Iraq over the last 12 months, British and US chiefs

believe.

The first is a series of crushing military defeats.

But the second is far more powerful — it is the will

of the ordinary Iraqi people.

In the last six months of 2004, the gruelling cat

and mouse game against the rebels climaxed in a

handful of major battles.

For the Americans, that meant Najaf in August and

Fallujah in November. And for the Brits, it came

about in a series of ever more bitter confrontations

in the long hot summer at Basra and Al Amarah. At

the end of every one, Saddam’s die-hards in the

north and the Shiite Muslim fanatics of the Mehdi

Army in the south were left with many thousands

dead.

A lot of those victories were down to the grit and

determination of the average squaddie on the street

who proved courageous time and again.

One of those was 23-year-old Private Johnson

Beharry, who was rightly awarded the first Victoria

Cross in 23 years for his extraordinary valour in

rescuing more than 30 comrades and then going back

out for more the next day.

But as well as decimating their numbers, the mental

effect on the rebels was just as devastating.

Many potential recruits began to question whether

certain death was really worth it. But more

important than any bullets and bombs thrown at the

enemy was the psychological effect of one single day

— January 30, Election Day.

In an amazing crescendo of public anger, eight

million Iraqi people came out to defy terror to

choose their own future for the first time.

Jan 2005 ... woman shows
mark after casting her vote

It was a truly humbling experience for all of us

journalists and soldiers alike to see the courage on

their faces that day and to hear how voters spat on

the charred corpses of suicide bombers.

It was an overwhelming national message to the

insurgents — they had had enough.

The only way any terrorist insurgency is beaten is

when the ordinary people withdraw their support.

Terrorists can’t hide in a hostile crowd. As British

forces chief in Iraq, Lt Gen Sir John Kiszely said

in his farewell interview last week after six tough

months in Baghdad: “I see a changing mood in the

Iraqi people, with a greater degree of optimism and

self confidence.”

The utterly-wrong Vietnam comparison was all the

rage among the chattering classes six months ago.

Now, you won’t even hear the MP for Baghdad South

George Galloway saying that any more.

Instead, top brass behind the scenes are seriously

talking about fixing a date for when to begin the

long withdrawal.

It is likely to start by the end of this year.

Why will it be time to bring Our Boys home then?

Because it looks more and more like their job really

will be well and truly done.

bilbobaggins

Seems like you got it all wrong eh? Insurgency attacks are soaring, the last few months have been among the bloodiest since the war started and there's no sign of it abating. Polyanna wistfulness doesn't win wars, and this war is far from over. On the contrary, the war is getting worse, and US troops will be there for the foreseable future unless the US decides to cut its losses and run, just as they did in Vietnam.

yechydda,