The American Spectator

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"Culturally, we're perceived as weak by a lot of Iraqis because we talk things out and follow rules our enemies would never even consider following," he said. "That's okay. It's going to take time to change the culture and so we just have to be the best example we can be of the values we hold."

ORDINARY IRAQIS ARE NOT ALONE in their distrust of Iraqi police forces. While most American soldiers will have some measure of praise for the Iraqi Army, the Iraqi Police are typically spoken of with considerably less praise. It probably didn't help that while I was in Mosul there was a rumor circulating that upon witnessing two insurgents planting a roadside bomb during a patrol, a ranking Iraqi Police commander in the city told his officers to stand down, thusly: "Do not worry: It is not meant for us."

"They're more than happy to let some infidel Americans get killed to keep the heat off their backs," one soldier grumbled. "The Iraqi Army would never just let that go. We couldn't get a lot of these police officers to show up to work six months ago. Now they're reliable? Many of them probably are, but not enough to keep me from worrying about what the rest are up to."

The overarching theme of his tenure in Mosul, Kelly said, is that while securing the present is paramount, a true victory in Iraq will require keeping one eye on the future.

"So much of our focus when we're out on the streets is on the kids," Kelly said, pointing out that on some days his men pass out Beanie Babies or soccer balls more often than they fire their guns. "We hope the next generation will look back on Americans and what we did here, despite the unavoidable tragedies that occur in every war, as something that improved their lives. Those kids growing up now are the ones who will really embrace democracy and make Iraq a place that flourishes again if we do our job right."

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Television, Environment, Law, Military, Iraq