Reading Less Bad News From Iraq

Reading Less Bad News From Iraq

The papers simply cannot find the space.

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At last we’re reading less about Iraq’s woes
And how the chaos there still moves apace.
With all the other Middle Eastern killing,
The papers simply cannot find the space.

His war, said Bush, would shake up this whole region
And–presto!–would democratize the place.
It’s shook enough to bury his debacle.
The papers simply cannot find the space.

Not only Hezbollah’s Iran’s close client.
Iraq is moving toward Iran’s embrace.
But now this isn’t carried on front pages.
The papers simply cannot find the space.

Our enemies grow stronger in the region–
Yes, stronger than when we began to chase
This cockamamie vision. That’s not headlined.
The papers simply cannot find the space.

The bombings in Iraq are even worse now.
And people disappear without a trace.
This sort of thing, though, isn’t making headlines.
The papers simply cannot find the space.

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Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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