Iraq backsliding thanks to Obama policies

By Ed Lasky

Barack Obama's pledged to the America and Iraqi people that he would leave Iraq more carefully and responsibly than we invaded it.

Now, as he has taken the widely predicted drawdown of forces, look what has happened. The surge is being unwound as Charles Levinson reports in the Wall Street Journal.

Meanwhile, violence is increasing. In January, 275 civilians died, followed by 343 in February, 408 in March and 485 in April, according to Iraq Body Count, an independent group that tracks civilian casualties via media reports.

Fatalities are still down sharply from May 2006 to August 2007, when between 2,000 and 3,000 civilians died each month. U.S. and Iraqi officials are encouraged that recent attacks haven't been followed by sectarian reprisals, as they often were in the past.

Even so, the handover to Iraqi control is sparking conflicting feelings in places like Shaab, a poor district next to the Baghdad slum of Sadr City. In recent years, Shaab was overrun by Shiite militias who drove out much of its Sunni minority.

Of course, most of the media, which obsessively focused on Iraq and the problems there during the presidential campaign (and helped Barack Obama capitalize on the bloodshed to garner votes and victory), has all but ignored the consequences of our Commander in Chief's decisions. and people are being wounded and murdered.