Today in Iraq

“By anyone's standards, terrible things are happening in Iraq, and no amount of self-congratulation in Washington can take the edge off the horror being endured by American troops or the unrelenting agony of the Iraqi people. The disconnect between the White House's fantasyland and the world of war in Iraq could hardly have been illustrated more starkly than by a pair of front-page articles in The New York Times on Dec. 10. The story at the top of the page carried the headline: ‘It's Inauguration Time Again, and Access Still Has Its Price - $250,000 Buys Lunch With President and More.’ The headline on the story beneath it said: ‘Armor Scarce for Heavy Trucks Transporting U.S. Cargo in Iraq.’”