CBC report from a freelancer in Iraq

If you thought there was more to the story than what Gen. Chavez was briefing the media on, you may be right. The CBC has put freelancer Patrick Graham's reports (from Ramadi and east of Fallujah) at the top of their newscasts the last two nights.

This guy reported yesterday that the American soldiers he spoke to in Ramadi were terrified, having been "mortared 12 times last night". My jaw dropped when Graham reached to Apocalypse Now! as a reference point. He said the soldiers had begged their commander to allow them to retreat, and tonight he referred to it as a "complete insurgency" on the part of the Iraqi population in the areas south of Baghdad. He said these soldiers had their munitions taken away by the insurgents, (including IED's), and that he saw Bradlees that had been torched.

He said the people he had with him as translaters told him they could not take him to Fallujah as it was too dangerous. He noted that wherever he went, the only ones who were possibly in charge were the rebels - definitely not U.S. military. Because he is a Westerner, he is holed-up and in a precarious situation.

There was no question in his mind that the  Iraqis he saw were united in their hatred for the occupation.

May something good come of this.