Has anyone else noticed that newspapers, radio, tv, and even internet media has pretty much been staying away from the subject? There is a very significant decrease in Iraq War media as of late. Why is that?

Is that because there is an overall amount of good news? Let's see.

Seems like I can find a couple of article, pretty much all around the same time period. Most of these articles were located not on page one, only troop deaths and bad news makes those pages. However, there is good news being reported, though going ignored by tv media especially, as much as possible.

Newsweek: "Emerging from our bunkers into the Red Zone, I see the results everywhere. Throughout Baghdad, shops and street markets are open late again, taking advantage of the fine November weather. Parks are crowded with strollers, and kids play soccer on the streets. Traffic has resumed its customary epic snarl" - http://www.newsweek.com/id/70990

NY Times: "Data released at a news conference in Baghdad showed that attacks had declined to the lowest level since January 2006. It is the third week in a row that attacks have been at this reduced level." - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/world/middleeast/19iraq.html?ex=1353128400&en=4e86cf9390494527&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

NY Times has also ran an article similar to the Newsweek one posted above, however it is passed the free viewing period

LA Times: In Iraq there is an "unexpected flowering of sectarian cooperation". Both "Sunnis and Shi'ites are joining hands at the local level to protect their communities from militants." - From Boston Herald article reporting on this http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/11/25/lets_hear_it_for_good_news_from_iraq/

Even the WASHINGTON POST has something good to say, not only that, they give props to President Bush: there has been an enormous improvement since January." They give credit to the troops, Petraeus "and to President Bush, for making the decision to launch the surge against the advice of most of Congress and the country's foreign policy elite." - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/16/AR2007111601765.html

AP Article: "Thus far, nine of 18 Iraqi provinces have reverted to Iraqi control, most recently the southern province of Basra in December. The process has gone substantially slower than the Bush administration once hoped, mainly because of obstacles to developing sufficient Iraqi police and army forces. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that he expects the process to continue." - http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U3B17O0&show_article=1

It is highly likely 14 out of 18 will be in COMPLETE control by the Iraqi government by the end of this year.

Washington Times: "According to a just-released report by the IMF, Iraq may see as much as 7 percent economic growth this year, and 7 to 8 percent next year." and "the Iraqi government, it was able in December to repay early its entire outstanding debt to the IMF" - http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080123/EDITORIAL06/228781142/1013/EDITORIAL

Doesn't all this good news sound really good to you as well?

Also, Al Sadr is chilling in Iran, but has formed peace deals with Iraq and they are likely to stand.

Politico: "Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), one of the leading anti-war voices in the House Democratic Caucus, is back from a trip to Iraq and he now says the "surge is working."" - http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/1107/Murthas_comments_on_surge_may_be_a_big_problem_for_House_Democrats.html

These comments came AFTER he came back from Iraq. In July he had said the surge wasn't working and so forth. Seems like he had a huge change in tune as well.

And, here are the Democratic Candidates, the top two, saying they would not commit to pulling troops out immediately like the lefties and non-sensical people want.

MSNBC: "At that debate Obama said that he could not guarantee that all troops would be out of Iraq by the end of his first term. He added, “It can’t be done to bring troops out in three to six months.”" - http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/09/403888.aspx

Hillary has said very similiar things to Obama.

So, Democrats changing tunes on Iraq, and Dem candidates trying to lie to you lefties and non-sensical people. They won't pull troops out when they come to office, reason why, they in fact know the good news from Iraq, has I have posted above. However, they could NEVER EVER say such things, they know they'd lose the hardcore liberals and get blasted for it in negative campaign ads that would distort the truth on Iraq.

For my ending points.

Is Iraq free of violence and there is no doubt good will come out of it? No, but there is plenty of good news, great progress, and I will be an opitmist. I won't demonize the Middle East and say there is no chance of stability there like MANY on the left will argue. There IS NO civil war like the left has argued either. That was a lie.

Iraq is not a cake walk. People are still dying, our troops are dying. However, there has been progress, our troops volunteer to go, and are still joining the military in large numbers despite Iraq. The Marines are especially meeting recruitment requirements, and the Army is often getting the recruitment numbers or just shy of it. Re-enlistment is also amazingly high, despite how bad the media has portrayed Iraq and despite how much the press and even some Democrats in Congress have demonized US soldiers.

To simply pack up and leave would be an incredibly dumb mistake after all this great progress AT THIS POINT. Eventually, Iraq will have total control over ALL the provinces and then we can scale back significantly. And, we are nearly there. Halfway there, with five more provinces taking total control this year most likely. To simply leave now would make the mission worthless, sacrifices of our servicemen and women pointless, and it would strip a freed people the same rights and liberties we hold so dear here.

I have an optimistic viewpoint on the Iraqi people. And, optimistic on our mission there, but I have had it for a long time now. However, now there is all the evidence of success and future success there that I can back up my optimism.

Unlike you people who wish to deny facts, bash our President, bash the soldiers (madisonman has and others have as well demonizing all soldiers for Abu Gahraib and Hadithia, which turned out to be a huge spin purposely to bash the military), and most interesting, to bash the IRAQI people.

The lefites say again and again the Iraqis are unable to understand democracy and cherish it (despite Iraq being the first place in the world, in history, to have an early form of democratic government), simply do not want it (why? are they too barbarian-like?), will not fight for it (despite the hundreds of thousands of police and military and civilians Sunni and Shiite uniting to stand against the violence).

Bump

Starsailor..... obviously you know the answer to your own question. Rather than go into a long essay the way you did, which I found interesting and informative, I will say the surge is working. The Media tilts far far to the left and doesn't want to acknowledge the good news. Therefore, Iraq is on the back pages.

Yes, and as the insurgency has diminished to pockets of resistance, the media is strangely silent. Aren't they supposed to report the news? I will do it for them. News flash!!!!!! The insurgency is heading for Iran and Afghanistan because they have lost momentum. By lost I mean Pee Wee Herman vs Hulk Hogan and by momentum I mean it is hard to run across the bodies of their fellow insurgents. Pictures at eleven....

"No news is good news" takes on a whole new meaning with the MSM...

I guess we should say "Good news is no news".

It ain't over till its over, American puppets are running Iraq govt , and I figure that the common people can not wait for the Americans to be gone. And there will never be peace as long as the Americans are there, stealing the oil, and dictating their govt..I believe that most people over there would rather have Saddam back than to have the Americans there. Why do we still have troops in Germany and many other countries around the world.Are we dictating them too? You can never have peace when you are in the business of overthrowing countries and assassinating their leaders, and that is what I think we are doing in these places. It is WRONG!!!We are going to end up paying for all this Wrong!!It is just like the law of gravity , you can not avoid the consequences. What you sow ,,is exactly what you will reap!!

Hi Henny Penny

I believe that the handful of people that own the media are the same ones who are in favor of the war ,and so they will make it sound like we are winning and doing good there.and will never report the truth. I believe our news is very heavily censored. Now why do you suppose they would do that?So the warmongers could keep the war GOING?? YOU are going to have a hard time trying to convince me that ISRAEL cares about our KIDS(soldiers). Let's get them soldiers home NOW!!!! I understand that Israel's main business is war equipment. If Israel decides to attack Iran too(SOME say Israel's planes hit Iraq First) then let Israel pay the price , not our kids. We could have saved all our kids in Iraq too, Did not Hussein tell DAN RATHER that give him and BUSH each a gun and just the 2 of them could fight it out . That is what I think we should have done. Bush would have chickened out and then there would have been no war!!!The News should have reported that a lot more!!

smo......

don't understand a word of your post ..... none of it makes any sense .....

are you trying to say the Media is right winged and in favor of the war? obviously, you don't follow TV/cable/Newspapers/and the like.

why are you bring Israel into Iraq?

Israel's main business is war equipment?

Dan Rather? wasn't he fired for distoring the truth?

you want our presidental leaders to engage in fist fighting with our enemies?

I think Dan Rather was fired for telling the Truth(censorship by the media owners ) I think before it is over this is all going to come back on the media, because they say that TRUTH STOMPED IN THE GROUND WILL RISE AGAIN!!! Both Clinton and Bush , I think are warmongers, but at the same time both were draft dodgers in one form or another, but they both don't seem to mind sacrificing our Kids to the GOD of WAR!! You ought to think on that a little bit, Or do you not have any kids ,or do you not care? We need to tell it like it IS!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVCvthr95io
Not sure how new this clip is but it appears to be an accurate representation of the state of the insurgency in Iraq.

Consider the idea that the news reflects less, because there IS less... Consider the idea that our efforts are finally paying off...

smo..... Dan Rather was fired because he went with a story on Bush that wasn't true.

I am not even going to address the rest of your post. There is something very wrong with your thinking. You make things up; you even make up your own adages .... not a good thing to do when what you are saying is not clever.

I hit up drudgereport earlier today, I'm addicted to that site, and there was an article linked on it how there are videos hitting youtube in large numbers posted by Iraqis and the US military members. These videos are pretty much dance videos, hilarious stuff and heartwarming stuff, especially the vid with the kids. There are sooooo many on Youtube, but these three are pretty much the best.

Video 1 is HEAVY with the swearing and vulgar language because the music is a rap song, but it is hilarious. Video 2 is the one with the kids, very cool, it gets much better later in it cause the marine's dancing is HORRIBLE! lol. Number 3 is the best song and collaboration of video :)

Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsMyJTEzOwQ&feature=related

Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQMcBF79pRI

Video 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM4eCay91zQ

Every week there is a new list of dead American soldiers in Iraq, doesn't sound like it is better to me.

Had to edit, even though I loved my witty retort.

You should dig a little deeper, take note of how many of those deaths are not "war related".

Possibly dig a little deeper and find the number of enemy dead each week?

Isn't it surprising that only one person opposed to the war posted and that person ignored every point of what I posted and instead went on some anti-government and media rant? Nah, not all that surprising.

Now, one of them will read this, I will say mnhiker though maybe madisonman, and then they'll come in with a whole bunch of drivel with no context to what was originally posted.

The fact that none have found the need to jump in yet says much to the points that were made.