For What It's Worth

• While 4 in 5 Iraqis resent the US presence in their country, only a third wants to see an immediate withdrawal of US troops.
• 65% of Iraqis say their quality of life is better (or at least the same) since the 2003 invasion.
• One third of Iraqis expect their personal situation to deteriorate over the next year.
• 37% expect their children will have a worse life than their parents.
• Two thirds of Iraqis want a centralized national government (as opposed to the partition plan supported by Sen. Biden and Sen. Brownback).
• Prime Minister al-Maliki's approval rating hovers at 50%, a twenty point increase in the last six months.
• Only a quarter of Iraqis describe the situation in their country as a 'civil war' despite Democrat insistence to the contrary.
• The American public is split evenly on the prospect of success in Iraq.

Insurgents have adapted to the security crackdown; they put children in bomb-laden vehicles (to lower suspicion at security checkpoints) and then detonate with the youths still inside. Using human-shields is a despicable tactic widely utilized by our enemies; using children is inhuman.