Next

It’s November. How did that happen? I was intrigued by the effort the atmosphere made the other day to rain. Wind flew up the skirts of several lusty date palm trees and the air was made sweaty as we waited for culmination. Several droplets tapped haphazardly on my rooftop and pips dotted the cement walkway as I left my trailer. It all smelled of futility. I hosted a big conference on Saturday for the division. The hierarchical structure of our unit parallels the structure of the new Iraqi local government structure. I’m at the division headquarters level, so I track ‘provincial’ level government, and then there are brigades meeting with ‘district’ leaders and our battalions going to ‘neighborhood’ meetings. There are some in the Army who aren’t too interested in ‘government’ as a concept. Their belief is that they are military units and the only reason they are here is to kill people and break stuff. My conference was an attempt to bring together the guys who are busting their humps trying to help this local government structure work better. The ones who know that they only way to have an effective police force, a stable economic environment, effective essential service distribution and operating schools and hospitals is to have that irritating thing known as ‘government.’ One of our commanding generals doesn’t believe in all this ‘government’ crap. I’m pleased to say that he is leaving soon. However, my office—the team of specialists that have been intimately involved with Baghdad’s government and essential services offices—is being disbanded. The new division coming in is going to have to start from scratch learning everything we’ve known- just as the new Iraqi government will be getting in place after the December elections. Perfect timing. My section (me and John and Ali) will remain as a small transition team working with State and IRMO. Anyway, despite that general’s attempt to get my conference cancelled, it went very well. Vindication is a powerful sensation. But you just have to wait for it sometimes.