http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8101422/site/newsweek/

By Rod Nordland
NewsweekJune 13 issue - Two years ago I went to Iraq as an unabashed
believer in toppling Saddam Hussein. I knew his regime well from
previous visits; WMDs or no, ridding the world of Saddam would surely
be for the best, and America's good intentions would carry the day.
What went wrong? A lot, but the biggest turning point was the Abu
Ghraib scandal. Since April 2004 the liberation of Iraq has become a
desperate exercise in damage control. The abuse of prisoners at Abu
Ghraib alienated a broad swath of the Iraqi public. On top of that, it
didn't work. There is no evidence that all the mistreatment and
humiliation saved a single American life or led to the capture of any
major terrorist, despite claims by the military that the prison
produced "actionable intelligence."

The most shocking thing about Abu Ghraib was not the behavior of U.S.
troops, but the incompetence of their leaders. Against the conduct of
the Lynndie Englands and the Charles Graners, I'll gladly set the
honesty and courage of Specialist Joseph Darby, the young MP who
reported the abuse. A few soldiers will always do bad things. That's
why you need competent officers, who know what the men and women under
their command are capable of—and make sure it doesn't happen.

Living and working in Iraq, it's hard not to succumb to despair. At
last count America has pumped at least $7 billion into reconstruction
projects, with little to show for it but the hostility of ordinary
Iraqis, who still have an 18 percent unemployment rate. Most of the
cash goes to U.S. contractors who spend much of it on personal
security. Basic services like electricity, water and sewers still
aren't up to prewar levels. Electricity is especially vital in a
country where summer temperatures commonly reach 125 degrees
Fahrenheit. Yet only 15 percent of Iraqis have reliable electrical
service. In the capital, where it counts most, it's only 4 percent.

The most powerful army in human history can't even protect a two-mile
stretch of road. The Airport Highway connects both the international
airport and Baghdad's main American military base, Camp Victory, to
the city center. At night U.S. troops secure the road for the use of
dignitaries; they close it to traffic and shoot at any unauthorized
vehicles. More troops and more helicopters could help make the whole
country safer. Instead the Pentagon has been drawing down the number
of helicopters. And America never deployed nearly enough soldiers.
They couldn't stop the orgy of looting that followed Saddam's fall.
Now their primary mission is self-defense at any cost—which only
deepens Iraqis' resentment.

The four-square-mile Green Zone, the one place in Baghdad where
foreigners are reasonably safe, could be a showcase of American values
and abilities. Instead the American enclave is a trash-strewn
wasteland of Mad Max-style fortifications. The traffic lights don't
work because no one has bothered to fix them. The garbage rarely gets
collected. Some of the worst ambassadors in U.S. history are the GIs
at the Green Zone's checkpoints. They've repeatedly punched Iraqi
ministers, accidentally shot at visiting dignitaries and behave (even
on good days) with all the courtesy of nightclub bouncers—to Americans
and Iraqis alike. Not that U.S. soldiers in Iraq have much to smile
about. They're overworked, much ignored on the home front and widely
despised in Iraq, with little to look forward to but the distant end
of their tours—and in most cases, another tour soon to follow. Many
are reservists who, when they get home, often face the wreckage of
careers and family.

I can't say how it will end. Iraq now has an elected government,
popular at least among Shiites and Kurds, who give it strong approval
ratings. There's even some hope that the Sunni minority will join the
constitutional process. Iraqi security forces continue to get better
trained and equipped. But Iraqis have such a long way to go, and there
are so many ways for things to get even worse. I'm not one of those
who think America should pull out immediately. There's no real choice
but to stay, probably for many years to come. The question isn't "When
will America pull out?"; it's "How bad a mess can we afford to leave
behind?" All I can say is this: last one out, please turn on the
lights.