My View of Iraq

Posted by Dan from Madison

I would consider myself a pretty normal guy. I love football, good food, fishing, spending time with my family and reading. Other things interest me as well. I used to be a news and politics junkie but have had to trade that off as my life got busier.

One of the things that I like about Chicago Boyz is the fact that this blog has such an interesting cast of characters from so many different areas of society. We have academics, scientists, attorneys, and on the list goes. Everyone who blogs here is an expert in something. I am an expert in the distribution of heating and air conditioning parts and equipment. That is my business.

My business takes up a lot of my time. I generally work about 70 hours a week or more but usually no more than 80. I usually get up in the wee hours and get more done before 7am than I do the rest of the day. After that I have to deal with customers, employees, and other things.

My time for news, unfortunately, is extremely limited. Most of what I get I hear on the way to and from work, in the form of cable news simulcasted on XM radio. That amounts to about 45 minutes per day. I also read the local paper and browse a few online sites during the day. Being in the HVAC business, I consider browsing Bloomberg and the WSJ part of my work day as I need to know what is going on in commodity markets and the rest of the world, at least in general, to be able to make informed decisions in my marketplace.

This long, boring introduction to my life was necessary because I would like to dive into the Iraq war for a bit, from the point of view of a busy thirty something family guy. I will make it quick.

Looks like we are winning.

Wish I had more to add, but my life won’t allow it. I simply don’t have time to read blogs, analyze reports from the field, or digest every bit of information coming out of there. I am no expert on this type of war, and barely know our objectives. Most of the time I spend on the war is in sending care packages to guys who I have never met (booyah to my boys - you know who you are) who are over there busting their asses so I can go to work every day and feel safer over here knowing that there are fewer and fewer of these crazed lunatics that want to behead me because I am…well…going to work and being a good American.

I haven’t heard the Dems whining or bitching about the deal for a long time on my simulcasts. Blood usually leads most news reports and I have not heard about a bomb blowing up in Iraq or a crazed lunatic chopping heads off for a very long time.

I heard the other day that the New York Times, who I won’t link or ever patronize until they give up the Walter Duranty Pulitzer, wrote an article that said that things in Baghdad are looking brighter. Now THAT tells me something. People are coming back. Stores are opening up. Al Queda is on the run. I like this. I hope our guys over there keep kicking the shit out of our enemies and are merciless in doing so.

This will probably help Republicans in the upcoming elections.

I hope the trend continues. Next up, the presidential election breakdown.