Iraq First

The IZ is divided into different areas. There is one area - one that seems fairly safe and secure and is full of Americans - where I spend a great deal of my time. On Tuesday, there was a press conference that I decided to attend, and it was on the Government of Iraq’s side. A friend offered to drive me since he was going anyway. I'll leave the friend's name out of this, but let's just say he's well connected. (Incidentally, on this very morning, I heard my first car bomb - it's always good to have someone who knows what's going on to interpret the various blasts that I hear but cannot identify). As we approached the heavily guarded entrance to the Iraqi side of the IZ, I noticed that there were two lanes of traffic. One lane was backed up at least 200 meters, the cars in front all opened up for search. The other lane was empty, and it's the one we breezed through thanks to my friend. I asked why the lane was so backed up, and he said because of threat/suspicion of a bomb every car would be searched carefully. He said that sometimes searching just one car that is a potential threat can take hours. Most members of the press would be in that lane.

I am not a seasoned journalist who is hellbent on getting the story first; in fact this is my first foray into reporting. But here in Iraq, I have become a "member of the press" and have my own little official press badge. At best I’m a patriotic American here to find out the truth. I could also be described as a nobody who writes when inspired. So it was ironic when I found myself to be the only Western journalist that made it to the Iraqi government building for the unveiling of the first ever comprehensive Iraqi National Security Strategy. For two hours I waited, along with probably 20 or 30 Iraqi men - journalists and government officials, aids and advisors - for the Iraqi National Security Advisor, Dr. Muwafaq al-Rubaie, to arrive and present this document that has been two years in the making. At the last minute, a famous NBC international correspondent showed up with his camera crew and ruined my scoop. But for a time I was the one and only.

This new strategy, called "Iraq First," is a comprehensive look at the trials that face what is in essence a brand new country. It is still called Iraq as it has been for decades, but this country is being built from the ground up. I only imagine that starting a country from scratch might be difficult under the most peaceful circumstances, but in the midst of age old sectarian...shall we call it "competition"...that has become violent, starting a country is a fairly daunting task. This new document is a ray of hope. It is Iraq’s vision of itself as a country, and it outlines how Iraq plans on defending itself. It was not written by the United States or another member of the Coalition. In fact its freshly printed pages were translated from Arabic to English for this ceremony. It is another small demonstration of Iraqi solidarity as they build nation they can be proud of.