Unhappy Anniversary

Last weekend in this country, protesters in cities across the nation took to the streets to protest the war.

Here's an audio clip from one of the speakers at the Denver protest last Saturday and a few phtots. The turnout was modest (I'd say about 300-400 people), but those who did attend were encouraged by the considerable support they received from passers-by and motorists.

The fifth year of the war in Iraq begins this week, and the occasion was marked, not surprisingly, by scattered violence throughout the country.

Four years after he delivered a cocksure speech announcing the American invasion of Iraq, President Bush has toned down his rhetoric on the subject.

It appears the on-going sectarian violence there, the Democrats' mounting campaign against the war, 3,200 dead American soldiers, and a disapproving American public are finally forcing Bush to revise his talking points and abandon his favorite catch phrases. For example, NPR noted that he no longer uses the word "victory" when referring to American involvement in Iraq.

To be sure, on this fourth anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq, there is scant little to celebrate for the Bush administration, but more importantly, for the Iraqi people, many of whom continue to live in constant fear of violence and without basic services like running water and electricity. The most conservative Iraqi death toll estimate is in the tens of thousands, while the real number is probably in the hundreds of thousands.

The suffering of the Iraqi people since the American invasion has hardened Iraqi public opinion and turned many against the coalition forces. To coincide with the war's anniversary, an Iraqi public opinion poll was released this week, and the survey clearly documents the deteriorating image of American forces through Iraqi eyes.

Of the 5,000 people surveyed, more than a quarter believes live under Saddam Hussein was better than life now. More than half of the respondents believes the security situation in Iraq would improve if the American forces left. Nearly a quarter of respondents believes the purpose of the American "surge" is merely a front to enable the U.S. to attack other countries in the Middle East.

The poll was based on in-person interviews conducted last month with randomly selected Iraqis in all 18 of the country's provinces. It was paid for by a London market research firm, Opinion Research Business.

Another poll commissioned by media groups painted a similarly gloomy picture of life in Iraq. This one found only 39 percent of respondents felt life was "going well," down from 71 percent in November 2005.

The media group poll found only 18 percent of people trust the U.S. troops, and more than half the respondents thinks it is "acceptable" to inflict violence on American forces.

Happy Anniversary.