Ugly Americans are rampant again on this site. Although I'm not a Democrat and not part of the "left", I must explain to them that contravening international law and invading sovereign countries whenever they wish - in other words, acting like an interntional bully - has resulted in an increase of terrorism and anti-Americanism all around the world. So keep your head down whenever you travel abroad. There are US-hating extremists everywhere now. And this is not going to change for a very long time. -- I say this as someone who was pro-American until Bush attacked and devastated Iraq. I am now, to my sorrow, anti-American. I know there are many decent Americans, but how could a majority elect a moron like Bush - twice? I could become pro-American again if he were to be brought before an international court of justice and tried as a war criminal - alongside Blair.

alan, cologne,

God Bless America.
Support the Troops.
Freedom isn't Free.
Surrender is not an option.

Live free or die.

Don't tread on me.

These aren't just slogans on the hulls of U.S. Naval ships.
There is hope for peace in Iraq. Visit www.vetsforfreedom.org
Listen to the message of Vets for Freedom.

Sincerely, Thomas Folan
Bessboro, Blackrock, Co. Cork, Ireland

Thomas Folan, County Cork, Ireland

God bless George W. Bush! God bless the U.S.A.!

Marc, Oshawa, Canada

Hi Eric

Nice to know there are still some Americans that are able to dig their heads into the sand. American is dominant YES, it is also a bully, ignores international law, invades countries that do not give it the oil they want. This is not a great day for America; there are 31 days in October which means that for 30 days people died.

The world was a far safer place when America was kept in check by Russia and until some other power comes to the front then we will all be in danger.

Do not think that your war with Iraq, Afghanistan and soon to be Iran will not produce some nice home grown terrorism, as they say those who live by the sword, die by the sword.

joe, Edinburgh, Scotland

I don't think its US Propaganda, just look at the actual numbers.

I think the US Military is gun shy about bragging about their successes. (The reporter included several examples as well as the name of the website which actually tracks this).

James, Den Haag, Netherlands

Sometimes I wish the US would revert to a policy of splendid isolation, then we'd have the perfect conditions to see every tinpot dictator crop out of the woodwork in the face of EU incompetence. We could even turn it into an experiment, we could measure how totally inept and spineless we are in the EU at tackling dictators ourselves, Bosnia being a fine example in question. It took years before any semblance of normaility was restored there and no thanks to the EU. It was only after the US set in troops that peace could be restored. The problem in Europe is that we're too cynical for own well being. We know that we don't have the political will or military clout to police the world and we yet we begrudge the US for fulfilling a role no one else can.

Jonathan East, Stockholm, Sweden

The Liberal-Left defeatist appeasers will not want to hear this
information, they always back the opposite side whether it
is Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, an Argentinian dictator,
it's always America and Britain that are the bad guys.

Frank, Devon, England

This is a superficial gain from the surge and a game! Hope Iraq insurgents are not hoodwinking the US and allies as in the beginning of Iraq war!
Regards,

Krishna R. Kumar, Udupi, India

The "Democrats" are desperate for failure in Iraq. Their number one wish is to see Bush fail completely. So we get fiction about imposing democracy at gunpoint. "Remember," the Bush-bashers insist... "...the Arabs are not like us, they are not ready for democracy." There are surely parallels to the race riots in New York in the 1860s, when Democrats didn't wan to fight for black emancipation. Black people then - Arabs now... some people are just not quite ready for democracy, are they?

Nick, Rotherham, UK

It is now indisputable, by any metric you choose to look at, that things have improved remarkably in Iraq . . . . . and yet, the response to this and other good news from Iraq by the left is willful disbelief. Not relief that the war is ending, because the war ending is a disaster for the left. If the war is not a quagmire, lost, and unwinnable that would make them . . . wrong. It would also make America victorious, and it is hard to say which does them more psychological harm .. .So expect the left to get even crazier as their denials of success in Iraq become more and more implausible, expect them to move the goalposts, and finally, when all hope is lost and victory become too obvious even for them to deny, expect them to claim that all their whining and caterwauling is actually what made victory possible.

Reposted From "Why Is The Left Afraid Of Victory?"
FROM BLOG: Say Anything

M.A. Fauci, Brookhaven, NY, USA

I like how the left avoids good news from Iraq like the plague. After all, didn't we lose last year? Thats what they said, right? Oh wait, deaths are down, the US military is handing off control of provinces to the Iraq government, local citizens are standing up to the terrorists and fighting back...

Can't be! It's all propaganda! Ooooooh!

Ben, OKC,

If there was ever proof that the European left has sold its soul to the Dictators and Despots of the world, its comments like those above. All I ask is when the time comes (and it is coming) when you're forced to drop to your rug five times a day, that you make it an even six, the last pointing towards American. Why? because at the END OF THE DAY, we're the only country on earth that recognizes the threat at hand and is willing or able to do what's necessary to stop it. Some things never change.
Kudos to the TIMES for having the journalistic integrity to print
the truth.

Dannielle, Grand Rapids, USA

Hiya

Yeah, close down the whole country and there will be no killings. Is this good, no it's a disaster!!

Wonderful logic though - if we kill everybody in Iraq there would be no killings, with no patients a hospital can be really well run, with no banks there will be no bank-robberies....

Real USA-logic, intelligent and reasonable - haaaa haaaa haaaa!!

Stefan Hultberg

Stefan Hultberg, roskilde, denmark

Hmm...one swallow does not a summer make. Do not encourage America; just now they will want to deliver the same mercy mission to Iran. I have a feeling that will be even less appreciated.

Howard, Johannesburg, RSA

"If I die in a combat zone
Pack me up and ship me home
Pin my medals on my chest
Tell my Mom I done my best"

Andrew Milner, Yokohama, Japan

Please don't be taken in by this new US propaganda surge. Things have got spectacularly worse in Mosul. There are still more than four million displaced civilian Iraqis, half of them living in internal camps with no services whatsoever - no safe water, no medical centres, little or no food. There many woman-headed households now (the men having been killed), trying to feed their children by raiding rubbish dumps or going into prostitution.

The day when the international relief agencies can safely operate in Iraq again is the only turning point that counts.

Rachel Mawhood, London, UK

Boy is this big trouble for the America-Hating left!! How are they going to wiggle out of this one? More U.S. troops, not American surrender,=Fewer dead Iraqis, not more. Wow. George Bush is preparing a goumet meal of crow for the chattering classes in London and Paris who demanded our surrender. I hope this finally demonstrates that betting against America is not only wrong but foolish. I am not saying American dominance is a good thing or a bad thing, but it is 1) a fact 2) A fact that is not changing in any of our lifetimes. China's economy may be growing but it is not interested in military superpower status,they have stated as much, saying they will only go war over one issue Taiwan. So if the left is desperate for someone, anyone, to challenge American dominance of world affairs they are going to disappointed and need to make their peace with reality.

ERIC, RALEIGH,N.C., USA