Michael Yon has a first-hand account of a quick-thinking American officer, and a blow against corruption in Iraq. It's hard to imagine a story like this coming from CNN. Hit his tip jar.

Beautiful.

It's a fine story that could well appear in the New York Times. (It's really too long for television; it would require a one-hour special.) Except for the idea that it's any real victory.

Yon describes an Iraqi government with no honesty, no stability, and no sovereignty. Ibrahim Hamid was an Anbar hero puffed up by the US, then they had to arrest him. In fact they had to lock down the whole damn police station. They were ready for a firefight with an entire squadron of Iraqis that they had trained themselves.

Along the way, Yon describes a police payroll that is nothing more than tribe-by-tribe patronage.

If this is "victory", then there is no meaning left for the word "defeat".

well at least yon explains how the Iraqi Police
kidnapped 5 brits in 5 minutes.

Excellent evidence of the progress in Iraq. Iraqis are no longer allowing corrupt leaders to rule them. That's a great sign.

LTC Crissman knew when to stay out of local disagreements and when to get involved to provide the right level of support. 2 incidents that could have been bloodshed ended peacefully. Both sides respect the American's, and in turn the American's are respecting them. That's how peace is won.

Yon describes an Iraqi government with no honesty, no stability, and no sovereignty. Ibrahim Hamid was an Anbar hero puffed up by the US, then they had to arrest him. In fact they had to lock down the whole damn police station. They were ready for a firefight with an entire squadron of Iraqis that they had trained themselves.

Wow, talk about drinking the kool-aid. No honesty, yet they asked for action against Hamid for his trespasses, and got it. He was puffed up by the US, because he had success against AQ. They were ready for a firefight because they're a very well-trained fighting unit.

Anon refuses to admit that we did something right. We halted corruption and the behest of the locals, we avoided a bloodbath, and helped the people of Anbar govern themselves.

No honesty, yet they asked for action against Hamid for his trespasses, and got it.

Actually, for all of his intrepid details, Yon never named the Iraqis who wanted Hamid removed, even though he said that they existed. He never explained who the "they" were. In a couple of instances he sort-of ran it together as "American and Iraqi officials", as if to suggest that the idea came more from Americans than from Iraqis. Yon didn't even mention an arrest warrant; in fact his story suggests that Hamid was arrested without a warrant.

In the action itself, he reveals a massive hidden hand of American control within the Iraqi government. They were incapable of arresting one of their own; on the contrary, the entire police station closed ranks behind the arrested man. There is no real sovereignty in a country that needs the US to enforce its laws. (If indeed this arrest had any real legal framework.)

He was puffed up by the US, because he had success against AQ.

Fine, but if his heroic actions are a victory, and if his arrest is another victory, then isn't that milking a little too much victory out of one guy?

They were ready for a firefight because they're a very well-trained fighting unit.

Again, if training Iraqi police is a victory, and then if being prepared to fight them is another victory, then that's gaining yardage in opposite directions on the field.

Anon refuses to admit that we did something right.

Oh, "we" (actually they, the military) have done a lot of little things right. In any failed effort of long duration, there are always a thousand little victories. If you're dying of cancer, then some round of chemo might shrink the tumor by a promising 40%; another day, you might walk to your mailbox when you didn't think that you had the strength; etc.

Michael Yon is a "silver lining" type when it comes to the war in Iraq. The problem is that his enthusiastic reports of silver linings reveal the shape of an enormous black cloud in between. They reveal a hopelessly corrupt and weak Iraqi "government" that is pulling the US ever deeper into Iraq's internal affairs.

The term "hopelessly corrupt and weak" is your interpretation. It's also the assumption underlying your argument against OUR efforts in Iraq. You should have had the honesty to state it near the beginning of your comment instead of burying it near the end. The rest of what you wrote is rationalization based on this same assumption.

Also, you obviously don't have a clue about Michael Yon's appeal. Yon is popular because he is observant, more knowledgeable than most journalists, and has a record of calling events as he sees them, good or bad. He is precisely not a spinner or unrealistically optimistic. But you already knew that, didn't you?

I give credit to yon for being there on the ground,
i disagree with his happy talk reporting, but it's
orders of magntude better then sitting in his kitchen
in his underwear bloviating about victory.

Man this was freakin' awesome. The hair was standing up on the back of my neck. Talk about a show down to see who would wink first. LTC Crissman must be one mean ass poker player.

The anon posters need to work on their reading comprehension skills. Perhaps depressing conspiratorial thoughts were too busy swimming through their head which got in the way of actually comprehending the situation. I believe the level of American involvement was explained rather clearly.

Of course it was Josh, but it goes against what they want to believe. So then it becomes one lone reporter who writes what he 'feels' versus facts, or whatever they have to do to get the thought train back on the 'gloom and doom' track.

"" Writes:

Michael Yon is a "silver lining" type when it comes to the war in Iraq. The problem is that his enthusiastic reports of silver linings reveal the shape of an enormous black cloud in between. They reveal a hopelessly corrupt and weak Iraqi "government" that is pulling the US ever deeper into Iraq's internal affairs.

Well, that's interestingly phrased, but I have to disagree with it. Michael Yon is simply reporting things that go on in Iraq at a company/soldier level. I don't find him to be particularly "pollyanna", other than that he forms attachments to the people he is working with/around, which I don't have any problem with.

The story itself is encouraging. It is a good thing to have someone who is corrupt and in a position of power that they're abusing arrested. It's hardly the same thing as "pulling the US ever deeper into Iraq's internal affairs".

In fact, if you have any ideas how we could be stuck any further into Iraq's internal affairs - keep them to yourself. I think short of making them a state....

I think I've made it clear in previous comments my contempt for the lack of strategic and tactical thought that got us into this mess, but the fact is that there are people, our people working hard to try and improve things, doing stuff way out of their "job description", and Yon reports these things. They're worth knowing. For my money, it just increases my disgust for the mistakes made by the Administration....

As a matter of fact, maybe they should invite LTC Crissman to the White House...little "Photo Op" with the POTUS? :)