There were big questions about whether the new Iraqi government would be accepted by the Iraqi people. Remember this argument? After all, it was said, this was nothing more than a creature of the old Governing Council, and the Council never had any credibility because it was seen as nothing more than a creature of the Americans, with no independence. So, everything hung on whether this government would be seen as truly independent or not.
(Interesting, wasn't it, that the press, who kept saying that over and over, like a mantra, added "with close associations to the CIA" to the Iraqi PM's name as if it were his middle initial? They were bound and determined that no one was going to forget that detail.)
Well look what the Post has today (although not visible on the home page: you have to dig for it):
The first survey since the new government was announced by U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi about three weeks ago showed that 68 percent of Iraqis have confidence in their new leaders. The numbers are in stark contrast to widespread disillusionment with the previous Iraqi Governing Council, which was made up of 25 members picked by the United States and which served as the Iraqi partner to the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority. Only 28 percent of Iraqis backed the council when it was dissolved last month, according to a similar poll in May.
Talk about burying the lede. Not until the 6th paragraph does the real news come out:
But 73 percent of Iraqis polled approved of Allawi to lead the new government, 84 percent approved of President Ghazi Yawar and almost two-thirds backed the new Cabinet. These impressive showings indicate that the new leaders have support spanning ethnic and religious groups, U.S. officials said. (My emph.)
And look what starts in the 8th graf:
Four out of every five Iraqis expected that the new government will "make things better" for Iraq after the handover, with 10 percent expecting the situation to remain the same and 7 percent anticipating a decline, the poll shows.
U.S. officials are particularly encouraged because the poll showed high name recognition for the new leadership, in contrast with many members of the former council, U.S. officials said. More than 70 percent of Iraqis polled have heard or read a significant amount about the new leaders, who were named about three weeks ago.
"That's huge penetration -- and it happened quickly," said the coalition official, who asked for anonymity because of the rules on naming officials in Baghdad. "It's partly because Allawi is on all the Arab media every day talking about security. He's visiting sites, and there are constantly images of the prime minister tackling security, which is what Iraqis care most about right now. It resonates, and it comes across in these figures."
In a sign that Iraqis are more optimistic generally about their future after the occupation ends, two-thirds of Iraqis believed the first democratic elections for a new national assembly -- tentatively set for December or January -- will be free and fair, the survey shows.
Despite the growing number of attacks on Iraqi security forces, including several yesterday, public confidence in the new police and army has reached new highs, the poll shows. Seventy percent of Iraqis polled supported the new army, and 82 percent supported the police. (My emph)
Just yesterday I was hearing in the media that they had no support for or faith in the cops.
This is huge, I mean huge.
It may mean they're sick and tired of the occupation, it may mean they've had it with us -- but at the end of the day, the majority of the Iraqi people believe in a new Iraq, have faith in it, believe it will happen, and believe it will mean a better life for them and for their families.
It also means from this point forward Zarqawi and the boys won't be seen as attacking us. Even if they blame us for not providing security, the terrorists will be framed as attacking the hopes for free elections, and a new Iraq. If it's their government, then with the handover, it becomes their country again in a really fundamental way, and their investment will increase.
Now -- will any media outlet pick this up over the course of the day? (And don't tell me anything about the danger facing reporters either. They'll get this story at the CPA briefing.)
By the way: a part of the story of yesterday's attacks that kept getting missed: yesterday all the Ministries turned over to Iraqi control. Isn't it possible that played a part in yesterday's attacks? Isn't is possible that was worth covering as a stand-alone story?
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