If it bleeds, it leads

By Brad Jewitt
web posted May 31, 2004

"If it bleeds, it leads." Ask any journalist and he'll tell you this old
cliché holds true. If a news story contains personal tragedy,
property loss, or -- best of all -- gory detail, you can bet that the
story will lead off the night's newscast or appear above the fold
in the morning paper.

Predictably, the news of "bleeding" in Iraq masks so many of the
positive things that are happening in that country. Too often, we
only hear what's going wrong. Despite one of the quickest
military successes in history, we now regularly hear words like
"quagmire" and "mistake." I'd like to introduce a few new words
that seem to be missing from the Iraq debate. How about words
like "progress" and "success"? The truth is, improvements are
being made, and accomplishments are mounting.

Iraqis are getting their country back. After decades of brutal
dictatorship, the Iraqi people are turning from a terrible past to
take control of their future. Just last week the Ministry of the
Environment and the Ministry of Youth and Sports transitioned
to full Iraqi control. These transitions mean that thirteen full
government ministries are now being run and governed by the
Iraqi people. On June 30th of this year, the Coalition Provisional
Authority will transfer power to a sovereign Iraqi government.

Democracy is spreading. To date, USAID has held over 7,000
civic and democracy town hall meetings, training sessions, and
public forums led by more than 500 Iraqi facilitators. Our
Coalition continues to make great efforts to assist Iraqi women,
including establishing women's centers, providing vocational
training and education programs for them.

Critical infrastructure is being rebuilt and refurbished at an
encouraging rate. Water and sanitation projects in Najaf and
Fallujah will be completed this summer, to the benefit of nearly
800,000 Iraqi citizens. Reconstruction of Baghdad International
Airport continues in preparation for commercial operations and
increased traffic. The ability to use a telephone, something you
and I might take for granted, is now within reach of more Iraqis
than ever before. The total number of telephone subscribers in
Iraq is now over 1,220,000 -- a 45.7 per cent rise over pre-war
levels.

Health care is improving in Iraq as well. The Iraqi Ministry of
Health has recently completed a nation-wide immunization
campaign covering more than five million children. Primary health
care kits for nearly forty health centers in Fallujah, Najaf, and
Karbala will soon be delivered in an effort to equip a total of 600
primary health care centers with much-needed medical supplies.
A health clinic in Baghdad's Sadr City has been re-equipped and
now serves 15,000 citizens.

Education in Iraq was also strengthened during the month of
May. On May 15, the Coalition and the Education Ministry
ordered the printing of 72 million textbooks, covering more than
ten subjects, for six million students. The Coalition is also
working with the Ministry to expand pre-school and
kindergarten programs for Iraqi children.

While unemployment rates still pose a concern in Iraq, the
Coalition has created over 435,000 jobs for Iraqis. The new
Iraqi currency has been relatively stable for nearly three months
and bank branches have re-opened. Revenues from oil exports
total nearly $6 billion already this year.

All of this is occurring, and yet I haven't heard anything about it
in the news. Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise considering
the same networks (CBS, NBC, ABC) that are so intent on
highlighting our setbacks in Iraq are the same that apparently
didn't find the need to broadcast President Bush's most recent
speech outlining his vision for success in Iraq.

We continue to face serious challenges and grave concerns in
Iraq. Many families in our area are rightfully concerned about
friends and loved ones serving bravely in the Middle East. But
the mainstream media's obsession with doom-and-gloom, the-
sky-is-falling stories from Iraq undermines America's breadth of
success in a country that is finally on a path to freedom from
tyranny.
 
Our Coalition in Iraq is making progress. The Iraqis are taking
control of their country and their future. Democracy is slowly
taking shape. Basic infrastructure, once crumbling, is being
improved. Schools and hospitals are being built. The citizens of
Iraq are being put to work. We have had, and will continue to
have, difficult times. But we cannot fail. We will not fail. And,
contrary to what you might hear from powerful Democrats and
nightly news broadcasts, we are not failing in this endeavor.

Brad Jewitt is the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress in
Maryland's 5th Congressional District. He is a 15-year Marine
who was activated for both Operation Desert Storm/Shield and
Operation Enduring Freedom. Visit his website at
www.jewitt2004.com.

Enter Stage Right -- http://www.enterstageright.com