No Al Qaeda Link? Now They Tell Us
This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.
General David Patraeus is complaining that the Iraqi government isn't acting fast enough on issues from national reconciliation to providing basic services.
One would think with the U.S. and its troop surge providing cover, Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki could have cooked up some kind of working coalition with the Sunni, Shia and Kurds.
One would think… but one would be wrong.
No, the mystery of Iraq remains impenetrable. Iraq's oil fields are pumping more crude but no one seems to know where the profits have gone. Billions have been pledged for reconstruction and much of it has been wasted or remains unspent.
And it could be just a coincidence that violence has gone up even as the first of the surge troops have begun to leave the country.
A new report by the U.S. military says unequivocally that there was no connection between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein.
Now they tell us.
Harry's daily commentary can be heard on many CBS Radio News affiliates across the country.
By Harry Smith