[richlevy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I strongly recommend reading Micheal Yon's take on Haditha.

Actually, I recommed reading his whole website.

It's pretty sobering stuff.

Of course, this is a two edged sword. The only possible justification for civilian casualties is that Iraq remains a war zone, something that some sectors of the public have a hard time admitting.

Consider these folks.

The points of reference are surveys conducted by Zogby International between 2002 and late 2005 in six Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. In Iraq the views have been measured by the International Republican Institute, the Gallup Organization and Oxford Research International.

In the six nations surveyed, 77 percent believe Iraq is "worse off after the war," and only 6 percent disagree. But in Iraq, most of those surveyed approve and consider their lives better in post-Saddam Iraq, by a margin of 52 percent to 29 percent. By a margin of 48 percent to 18 percent they expect their lives to improve more in the next year.

To the question, "Thinking about any hardships you might have suffered since the U.S.-Britain invasion, do you personally think that ousting Saddam Hussein was worth it or not?" 77 percent say yes. That figure includes 91 percent of Kurds surveyed and 98 percent of the Shiites.

Now if you look carefully, three polling organizations are listed, but only one set of results. Whose results are they, Gallups or the International Republican Institute?