A cautious optimist
AMMAN , Jordan - As I was in the hotel lobby waiting for my driver, I chatted briefly with Dr. Samir A. Hassan, who was passing through Amman on his way back to Iraq from a conference in the United States. Hassan, a brigadier general and chief surgeon in the Iraqi army, said he thinks the troop surge will work. "Otherwise, this is the last chance for Iraq,'' he said.
According to Hassan and another Iraqi sitting nearby, we in the media exaggerate the violence in Baghdad. But when I pressed Hassan on the dangers, he acknowledged that he lives in the Green Zone - the massively fortified home to U.S. diplomats and contractors - and that he is protected by several bodyguards!
Susan Taylor Martin is the senior correpondent for the St. Petersburg Times. During the past few years, she has written frequently from overseas hot spots including Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel.
Bravo, Susan ! You asked the General the right questions on security in Baghdad !
Art
Posted by: Art Hebert | February 16, 2007 at 03:27 PM