Even if the deficit limit has increased, and the Afghanistan situation has deteriorated, the unemployment rate is getting worse, and many Americans just realized that a lot of terrorists from Gitmo were released so they can bomb us later, good news has finally arrived.  Americans should take cheer that the Iraq war has been a huge success, with casualties at an all-time low and the Iraqi people taking part in peaceful election processes.

National Public Radio (NPR) [1] had announced last February that the Iraqis have been voting with few disturbances, and–even more exciting–the radically Islamic militant parties are losing.  Although there are reports that some portions of the Iraqi populace have not been able to vote, things seem to be going along swimmingly, with [2] 51% of the population voting in their parliamentary elections. When held in comparison with [3] our voter turnout (about 37% for congressional elections), the news is incredibly exciting: if Iraq continues on this path and extends the voting to all portions of the nation, we could be seeing another functional democratic republic within the Middle East.  Israel will not be alone.

Also worth noting, the Brookings Institution–one of America’s oldest think-tanks–[4] has announced that about 3600 violent civilian deaths are reported yearly in Iraq (an average derived from the 2009 monthly totals on p.5), a country which has a [5] total population of about 29,000,000.  One interesting thing about these statistics is that a casual onlooker can consider the 2009 Iraqi murder rate and find it to be about 12 people killed per 100,000.  When held in comparison with [6] Detroit, the city with the most liberal–meaning, “Obama-esque”–[7] voting record in the United States, Americans find that Iraq is a paradise.  About 36.4 people are mudered for every 100,000 people in Motor City, which means that Iraqis–despite suicide bomber problems and the fact that their country was completely demolished a few years ago–are more conservative, industrious, and civilized than our own countrymen from Michigan, and have a third less murders. And this is despite the fact that the Iraqi prison population has been cut to a third since 2008, according to the Brookings Institution (p.21).

All this is worth nothing before mentioning that [8] US military casualties are at their lowest level since the beginning of the occupation.  With only 151 casualties in 2009, the entire international coalition saw less than a sixth the casualties of 2007.  Our boys aren’t just succeeding in greater accomplishments, they’re surviving in greater numbers.

So while the world may be a bleak place, remember that we did get a blessing last year, and Americans can take joy in that.  The occupation may not be over, but it’s certainly getting quieter, and hopefully we’ll be able to bring all America’s sons and daughters back to US soil soon.  Be sure to thank God for His providence, as His blessings brought the Iraqi populace together and gave our troops strength.  Thank George Bush for sticking the war out, even when he was unpopular and could have left the country and our pride in shambles.  Thank your troops for fighting hard and doing the day-to-day dirty work in hot weather, far away from their families.  And last, whether you want to or not, thank the Democratic congress and President Obama for not taking the liberty of pulling out when they most certainly could have.  And thank you for supporting our troops.