The conundrum that is Iraq today

Huge protests against the American occupation were held in Iraq yesterday. Speigal on-line cites a story from a "center-right" German newspaper to summarize the situation:

Four years after the end of the Baath regime, most Iraqis are in no mood to celebrate. If one believes the latest surveys, more than three quarters of the population want the Americans and their allies to withdraw, and they have never been so pessimistic about the future. The Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is cleverly using anger about the lack of drinking water, power cuts, continuing insecurity and economic decline to his advantage. Hardly anything happens in Iraq's domestic politics without the young cleric. In Baghdad he has long advanced to the position of a kingmaker.

So, how does BushCo respond? With this (from E&P):

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters [anti-American demonstrations] only underscore ... how much "progress" the U.S. is making in that country.

Four years since the fall of Baghdad, Iraq "is now a place where people can freely gather and express their opinions, and that was something they could not do under Saddam." Johndrove said, traveling with President Bush to Arizona.

[T]he Associated Press reported this afternoon: ..."Demonstrators ripped apart American flags and tromped across a Stars and Stripes rug flung on the road between the two holy cities for the huge march."

It must be nice in the bubble that is the beautiful White House. If only BushCo could learn to better catapault the propaganda.

On a side note, I would love to see the right-wingers go ape-shit over some Iraqi morans who decided to burn the US flag. After all, they sure found - and were summarily outraged by - the dolts who burned the US flag at US peace rallies.