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As a service member it was always difficult for me to protect those visitors who clearly don't support the armed services or the war. So why?
the city looks like many in the developing world\Jared
i will be posting a full entry soon on today, i've written four pages already. The experience is extremely informative. I have remained in the IZ (international zone) also called green zone all day except for the ride from the airport.\\
i visited several military compounds and met with reps from the Iraqi government
there are several daily commercial flights from Jordan! I actually checked in at a kiosk early this morning.\\
you do need a visa but we got one at the airport. there are a large number of american and international contractors coming in all the time, my plane was full of them
Withdrawl is just the first step, not the last. Yes we need to end our military presence but there is a lot of work to do to build iraq, transition authority, and nurture a democracy and functional government
Are you saying that if someone disagrees with you you would prefer to not protect them from being killed? Wow, does that mean we all have to vote Republican or you will find it difficult to defend our country?
Could you please answer my question above? The service members protecting you deserve an answer.
Hi Carol,
One of the biggest surprises is the role of contractors, it's even more than I thought. most of the military checkpoints i passed through today were staffed by peruvians and chileans, not under the flag of their country but rather under the flag of their private contracting company.
There are many more, and there is really nothing that can subsitute for first-hand knowledge. I will be posting a more detailed post with observations soon.
\
tonight in a hotel, tomorrow on a private compound outside of the green zone but in a secure area.\
the hotel is fancy in a faded glory kind of way, but has no internet in the hotel rooms! the lobby teams with diplomats and iraqi government people and members of our military.
the rooms are comparable to motel 6, which is fine. tomorrow will be rougher
Nice try David. Lets keep this civil.
thank you for your kinds wishes. i look forward to publishing more detailed plans and helping to steer our nation towards a successful strategic outcome
Thankfully a kindly member of Iraqi parliment is letting me use her networked computer. her body guard is watching me and i think she went to sleep.
I hope you can reassure them that those of us who support redeployment still respect their contribution.
i do not have access to Iraqi military compounds. The Iraqis I am meeting with here are generally officials in the government or running NGOs.
In aMMAN i look forward to getting a more complete picture from refuges who can speak entirely freely
Being a meaningful part of the efforts to bring Iraqi and Colorado NGOs together is a great opportunity, and I am also learning a lot about the situation here that will lead to more information I can share with people back home.
i have met a number of political leaders today. keep in mind that the political leaders here are mostly supportive of our continued presence because we are currently protecting them from harm and their lives will be more dangerous in the short-term when we leave.
I think it is silly people who have no first hand view are writing plans... like they have any idea.
Kudos for being so brave Mr Polis... Kudos!
I am even more convinced now that we should encourage all our officeholders to see firsthand what is occuring hear and listen to a broad range of voices to help inform their opinions. There are no easy answers, I wish there were but if you served here you know first hand as well that there is no easy and perfect outcome
You asked your question upthread. Jared is working his way down the list. Be patient.
I think it's vital for anyone in Congress to visit Iraq and see first hand the effects their decisions will have, both on the Iraqi people and our soldiers; so I wanted to say thanks for taking the initiative to make this trip.
Also I would like to say that reality won't allow a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops anytime soon, simply because of the slim majority in the Senate and the sheer size of our presence. Can you comment on how you'll address these problems once you're elected; especially since you'll be 1 of 435 members of the House?
The only life I am putting (mildly) at risk is my own. I am here working with and helping to build bridges between the NGOs and the government as well as supporting the mission of the NGOs. my full posts will have more information on these matters.
I thank our servicemen and servicewomen everytime i see them (well, at least if we're not just passing by).
I am suprised that the role of contractors is even more than i thought. I look forward to discussing this with you when i return.\\
We do need an extremly thoughtful approach to the constructive role we likely need to play for the forseeable future to help rebuild the country and promote regional stability
From my activies today i can speak better to the issue of the conditions for our military. Over the next few days I will gain more firsthand experience on the the experience of Iraqis.
Our military is much more comfortable than they were at first. I visited a well stocked commisary with members of our military shopping from a broad selection of familiar products. The morale of our military is reasonably high. The morale of iraqi government officials appears lower, they seem overworked and tired.
From members of our military i have talked to who have been here a while, things are much more comfortable for them now. Keep in mind that comfort is a relative thing.
If you were unable to participate at the appointed time, you missed your opportunity to have your questions asked and answered. To expect Mr. Polis to respond to your questions here -- several days after the fact -- is unreasonable.
I'd invite you to contact him directly or comment on his campaign blog.