Fables of the Reconstruction
I have been opposed to our invasion of Iraq from the get-go, but now that we're there, I just don't believe we can cut and run. Unfortunately, we've been dealt a set of cards that will make it very hard to play against the house. Iraq also concerns me on a personal level because my Dad has been working in Baghdad since the spring (around the time when Fallujah started blowing up). I wish he wasn't there, but I worry about his safety daily, especially now that the insurgents seem to be getting closer to the Green Zone with their suicide bombing runs.

He and his wife (who's stateside, but who gets a lot of info from him) keep telling me that there's lots of good that's happening in Iraq that we just don't hear about. And I have no doubt that we're only getting a small view of the whole of the country (just as we get only a small slice of life in our own country, which seems to be dominated by he said/she said political wrangling and stories about Scott Peterson). So, here's some news from the Defense Department about the ramping up of reconstruction projects:

The pace of reconstruction projects has changed in recent months. Hess explained that up until "several months ago," the focus has been on getting funds obligated and contracts signed. "And now, clearly, our focus has turned, and rightly so," he said. The focus now is on "actually putting construction in the ground and starting construction projects."

He said officials hope to have 1,000 projects started -- and many completed -- by the end of this year. Currently, 700 projects under the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund are in progress throughout the country.

Taylor shared some statistics: Today in Iraq there are 28 water-treatment plants, 13 sewer projects, 72 health-care facilities, 5 public buildings, 62 "border ports," 9 fire stations, 37 electricity substations, and nine military bases under construction.

Five water-treatment plants, one sewer project, and 73 health-care facilities have been completed.

In addition, Taylor said, 3,100 schools have been "rehabilitated," and 39,000 police, 14,000 border police, three battalions of regular-army soldiers and eight battalions of National Guard soldiers have been trained and equipped.

Good to hear. But it's risky business as the LATimes reminds us:

The bullets had barely stopped flying here when a convoy of military engineers braved the deserted streets this week to begin rebuilding water pumps, electricity lines and roads.

It was risky business. At the first checkpoint, a skittish Iraqi national guardsman fired a warning shot. Then, U.S. tanks accidentally ran over and mangled new aluminum electricity cables awaiting installation.

Fearful that patrolling U.S. soldiers would mistake them for insurgents and open fire, workers refused to return to the local water treatment plant until they received a hastily scribbled authorization note from a U.S. commander.

Moving so quickly with reconstruction projects in a chaotic combat zone where residents dared travel only with white flags may seem overly eager, but it's part of an evolving U.S. military strategy to oust insurgents in Iraq and restore stability before January's election.

But then there's this troubling bit of news from the Daily Star in Lebanon (which is starting to get picked up by US news sources, too):

Iraq only has 10 percent of the money needed over the next six years to fix its sewerage and drinking water systems, a dilemma worsened by a US proposal to shift two billion dollars earmarked for the sector to security, the public works minister said on Thursday.

Nasreen Barwari was speaking as Iraqi government officials prepared to fly cap-in-hand to Tokyo next week for an international donors' conference.

"It is very critical that grants get expanded for the sector," the young female minister told a news conference in Baghdad.

The US government promised to pump 18.4 billion dollars (15 billion euros) into reconstruction projects in Iraq after last year's invasion.

But a month ago it revealed a plan to shift some of this cash into beefing up the country's security forces in response to a violent insurgency there.

And Fred Kaplan at Slate keeps up the pressure for what's being outlayed for the reconstruction versus what's been appropriated:

More damning are the report's figures on Iraqi reconstruction. Yes, the U.S. Congress has appropriated $18.4 billion for this effort; but, according to the report, the authorities on the ground in Iraq have spent just $1.3 billion—about 7 percent of the money set aside.

The specifics of this disparity are still more depressing. For security and law enforcement, $3.2 billion was appropriated, but only $646 million has been spent. For electricity, $5.4 billion was appropriated, $330 million spent. For water resources and sanitation, $4.2 billion was appropriated, a pathetic $23 million spent. For oil infrastructure, $1.7 billion was appropriated, just $47 million spent. For justice, public safety and civil society, $1 billion was appropriated, $55 million spent. For health care, $786 million was appropriated, but $4 million spent. For transportation and communication, $500 million was appropriated, $12 million spent. And the list goes on.