Thursday, January 11, 2007

Michelle Malkin in Slums of Baghdad

By Rick Pearcey

Michelle Malkin and colleague Bryan Preston at Hot Air are currently embedded with a U.S. Army unit in Baghdad.

The unit is "tasked with training Iraqi security forces (both Shia and Sunni) conducting counterinsurgency operations, and carrying out civil affairs work," Malkin writes today at her website.

* Unspeakable Bloodshed: "Yes, there is danger and chaos and unspeakable bloodshed in parts of Baghdad. Sectarian violence -- compounded by everyday street crime and tribal conflict -- is rampant. Corruption, incompetence, and apathy infect the Iraqi government. You've gotten endless news coverage of all that."

* Hope Amid Despair: "But there are also pockets of success and signs of hope amid utter despair."

* Faith in Military, But No Sugarcoat: "Having met, watched, and interviewed a broad cross-section of our troops during our brief but fruitful travels, my faith in the U.S. military has never been stronger -- but I will not sugarcoat my skepticism and doubts about decisions being made in Washington."

See the rest of Malkin's post, plus photos, here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.