A Nov. 14 headline on Page A31, "In Fallujah, Marines Feel Shock of War," brings into focus the stupidity of the label "Postwar Iraq" that runs at the top of your Iraq pages.
When more than 10,000 troops moves into a city to clear that city of thousands of enemy fighters, the war is most certainly not over. It seems that whoever authored the legend "Postwar Iraq" must have been duped by President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" banner. Why the president made this boast is not difficult to understand, but at least he hasn't repeated it over and over again.
_____Commentary_____
•
A Heavy Legacy of Wars (The Washington Post, Nov 27, 2004)
•
Engage Iran (The Washington Post, Nov 26, 2004)
•
Lessons of Arabia (The Washington Post, Nov 26, 2004)
_____Editorials_____
•
A Good Delay (The Washington Post, Nov 24, 2004)
•
Mr. Gonzales's Record (The Washington Post, Nov 22, 2004)
•
Mr. Powell Departs (The Washington Post, Nov 16, 2004)
|
| |
|
In contrast, every day when your editors label news as coming from postwar Iraq, your paper asserts that the war is over. But because of the ongoing war, relief organizations are unable to operate effectively, reconstruction projects cannot be undertaken or completed, and U.S. troop levels cannot be decreased. Instead, the casualties suffered by those troops continue to increase and more Iraqi police officers and guardsmen are being killed.
Might I suggest an appropriate label, one in keeping with the other legends that run atop the pages of the A section: "News From Iraq" or, more simply, "Iraq." Of course, you could use the more accurate label "War in Iraq."
-- Niel Rosen
Washington
