There are aspects of this piece that are good. Engelhardt does a good job, for instance, of showing the degree to which the US is deeply imbedded in Iraq. There are aspects that are less good. There's more than a hint of conspiracy regarding media coverage, and the Iraqi and American people's positions about US withdrawal is more complicated than he lets on. It's an important read, but If it hadn't been written in a such a childish manner it would serve the reader better.

This opinion piece attacking the superficial mainstream news coverage of Iraq (from reporters largely within the Green Zone, and moved to cover "fresh" topics of economy and elections) details our Pentagon and State Dept. commitments to a very long stay. There are several sources cited and links to others, and the analysis seems sound; a lack of Iraq reconstruction, dysfunctional politics, and dependence on U.S for security may enmesh us indefinitely, and will be a challenge to succeeding administrations who espouse the early departure desired by a huge majority of American voters. There is no framework to define our goals in the Middle East, or potential consequences of our occupation.

A pretty good editorial piece with a good sprinkling of facts. I wish he had written more on the oil part of the story since officials are beginning to admit the importance of stealing the oil in the prosecution of the war.

The situation in Iraq, the role of big corporate pro-war media in not reporting continuing developments, and the absurd logic of the bush administration and republican neo-colonialists is described with clarity and bite.

Excellent journalism as it provides what the mainstream media is unwilling to and is well written as well as sourced. Another example the author could have provided is "One of three sewage treatment plants is out of commission, one is working at stuttering capacity while a pipe blockage in the third means sewage is forming a foul lake so large it can be seen "as a big black spot on Google Earth," said Tahseen Sheikhly, civilian spokesman for the Baghdad security plan."

This opinion piece shows minimal knowledge of the situation in Iraq. The author has not read any of the major journalists stationed there, such as Michael Yon and Jeff Emanuel. The author is unaware of the great political progress that has been made in Iraq. The author has no knowledge of history, not realizing that we still have bases in Germany, Japan and South Korea, for example, decades after the end of active hostilities in those countries.