Liberals get upset when faced with "facts" about Iraq, conservative talk-radio host Mark Simone told his WABC listeners this evening.
The premise, of course, is ridiculous. Simone wouldn't specify which liberals, of course, although one can presume he is referring to big-name politicians like Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) or Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean. Or perhaps he's referring vaguely to New York and Hollywood "intellectuals."
For Simone, it probably doesn't matter. It's better to portray "liberal" as a dirty word, an amorphous anti-American group.
And which facts?
Simone offered the following:
-- 14 of 18 Iraqi provinces are peaceful. Only four have a problem with insurgents.
-- Iraqi unemployment is down 50 percent in the past year.
-- Iraqi wages are up 30 percent in the past year.
-- Iraq's new stock exchange "apparently" is doing well.
Ask yourself, are these "facts" that make "liberals" upset? Or are they half-truths designed to paint the most positive, Bush Administration-friendly face on the Iraq War?
Let's consider the "other half" of each of these "facts."
-- It's true, only four of 18 provinces have a problem with insurgents. But according to a Defense Department report presented in July to Congress, one of the four provinces is Baghdad, the most populous Iraqi province. And 35 percent of insurgent attacks occur in that province.
It'd be like saying "the US only has a crime problem in four states out of 50," without noting that the four states are California, New York, Texas and Florida.
What's more important - the number of provinces with insurgents, or the number of insurgent attacks?
According to a November report from CNN , quoting Pentagon officials, "in October there were about 100 attacks a day." By comparison, a January Boston Globe report suggested a figure of 50 to 70 attacks per day.
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