The soldier enclosed a copy of the card. It has a big heart on the front, and inside it reads: "Thank you George Bush. Thank you American soldiers. Thank you Marines [sic] soldiers. To save us. We are so grateful. Your friend, Ali Ahmed. An Iraqi boy, 9 years old. 2003.4.15 Wedensday [sic]."
Much of Baghdad became, in a moment, a showcase of unbridled enthusiasm for America ...
American troops, but almost as much any Westerner caught up in the tide of people rushing into the streets, were met with scenes that summoned comparisons to the freeing of Eastern Europe 14 years ago ...
Gen. Georges Sada, the No. 2 ranking general in the Iraqi air force, said the same thing when I interviewed him Feb. 9, 2006.Shouts to the American soldiers of "Thank you, mister, thank you," in English, of "Welcome, my friend, welcome," of "Good, good, good," and "Yes, yes, mister,' mingled with cries of "Good, George Bush!" and "Down Saddam!" ...
I said, "You said the president did the right thing in invading Iraq – "
"Excuse me," said Sada, "you say invading, I always say liberating ... In most provinces of Iraq and Kurdistan, the forces were received with cheers and flowers, in the South, it was the same thing in my province." The people living in the Sunni triangle did not consider Americans liberators, he explained, because Sunnis ran things. "When they found that this is all gone, of course they didn't like it."
WE WERE greeted as liberators! it was ALL in the news and on tv.But American commanders in the city barely paused to soak up the celebrations before warning tonight that much hard work remained to be done in extending the pockets of American control in east and west Baghdad into areas that remained no-man's lands, or worse, pockets of active resistance by forces loyal to Mr. Hussein.
and I still didn't support the war.