The American Spectator

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Matthaidess decides to eschew the fortified steel safety of the Stryker to ride with the Iraqis. To an outsider it may seem crazy, but he doesn't want to turn down the Iraqis' invitation. He knows the ride is a chance to show respect and signal Americans growing confidence in the abilities of Iraqi forces. After all, what sort of signal would it send if American military officers planning to soon turn chunks of Mosul over to Iraqi Army forces were afraid to ride along with those very forces?

"Captain's hard," one of the soldiers enthused as we pulled out. "You can't help but admire the hell out of him."

As soldiers pop trunks and ask questions, Captain Matthaidess strikes up conversations with people on the street and in the shops. Unlike in Samarra, where Sunnis look at any Westerner with eyes of fire, here in Mosul they talk easily with Americans, voicing concerns and conspiracy theories in equal parts.

The most popular theory this particular day is a doozey: America has allowed Iran to fix the Iraqi election and is conspiring to subvert the will of Sunnis who make up the majority of Iraqis. If you try to explain Sunnis are actually only approximately 35 percent or that there is no love lost between Iran and the United States, expect a friendly dismissal.

"What are you going to do if Shiites win the most parliament seats?" Matthaidess asks a Sunni vegetable stand owner sipping Pepsi out of an old school long bottle as women in full burkas peruse his wares. "Are you guys going to work together peacefully?"

"If Iraqis decide to be led by Shiites or Kurds that is fine," the vendor answered. "But we do not approve of Iran running Iraq."

"We do not want the religious government they want," another Sunni man suddenly shouted. "We want to be free to do as we please. Tell Rumsfeld to build a new Iraq army with Sunnis."

"Well, I haven't seen him lately, but I'll keep it in mind if I do," Matthaidess said, adding, "The great thing about a democracy is that no one group will be able to impose things on any other. There will have to be a coalition to change things in Iraq. You have to trust in the process to make your country better."

LATER, BACK AT THE AMERICAN BASE, Matthaidess expressed both optimism and frustration at the situation in Mosul.

"There are a lot of good people in Mosul doing good things for the community at great risk to themselves, but there's still a ways to go," he sighed. "If you could sell initiative in this county you'd be a millionaire. We're trying to get people in this community to the point where they work together to solve their own problems, rather than running up to the nearest Stryker. Until now it's been too easy to do that. It's made them lazy about their own future in a lot of ways."

Still, he believes a desire for change is beginning to win out.

"I judge sentiment by how much information the Iraqi people are giving us and right now my phone is ringing off the hook," Matthaidess explained. "The mood in the city increasingly is one where they trust Iraqi and coalition forces more than they fear terrorists. We're getting tips all the time that are leading to fruitful raids. A lot of people I talk to in Mosul say they are just tired of it. They're tired of insurgents slaughtering them and their children in the name of freeing them."

It was a comment that reminded me of something he had told the puffing Iraqi businessmen back at the waste management office when the whining and incessant excuses got to be a bit much for him.

"You and the folks over at the municipality are going to have to start figuring this stuff out together, so I can start sleeping more at night," he had said. "Americans aren't going to be here forever, so you're going to have to start working things out together."

Here's hoping he's right. But here's also hoping they don't start shooting litter bugs when American soldiers begin loading onto C-130s for the long trip home.

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Television, Business, Military, Iraq, Iran