Contrary to popular belief, I do not revel in failure in Iraq. I decided to stop repeatedly writing article blips about death tolls because I realize that there will be deaths no matter what. If they hit a record, I may note that only in that when a death toll record is set in 2007 that means that progress from 2003 is sorely lagging behind. That said, it’s unfair to make a note every time a bomb goes off and a few does Iraqis and a handful of soldiers die.

Stories of massive import, such as irrefutable evidence that a lie was made to fool the country or the failure at Walter Reed (though I missed the latter story) naturally warrant writing however. Largely symbolic stories as well, such as this: the man who brought down the statue of Saddam Hussein, saying the occupation is worse than life under Saddam.

He explained: “There were lots of people from my tribe who were also put in prison or hanged. It became my dream ever since I saw them building that statue to one day topple it.”

Yet he now says he would prefer to be living under Saddam than under US occupation. He said: “The devil you know [is] better than the devil you don’t. We no longer know friend from foe. The situation is becoming more dangerous. It’s not getting better at all. People are poor and the prices are going higher and higher.”

Saddam, he says, “was like Stalin. But the occupation is proving to be worse”

I got nothin’ to add to that.