Good news from Iraq?

30,000 anti-war protesters in Manhattan today marked the anniversary of the war in Iraq by protesting "the new colonialism" of the U.S. . . . that is to say, protesting the U.S.'s chief role in liberating the country held hostage by a tyrant who, incidentally, would have typically dealt with such an exercise of free speech by torture and execution.

I don't think they appreciated the irony of the situation.

Most media sources commemorated the anniversary with a litany of bad news and the latest body count. Paul Wolofowitz, U.S. deputy secrety for defense, has some good things to say in New York Post:

• Electricity reached pre-war levels last October, and is on track to reach 150 percent of pre-war levels, despite an infrastructure devastated by Saddam.
• Oil production has reached 2.5 million barrels per day, well ahead of projections.
• Funding for public health care is up 26 times the level under Saddam.
• All 22 universities, 43 technical institutes and colleges opened on time last fall.
• Some 72 million new textbooks will go to primary and secondary schools by the end of this school year, so children will no longer learn arithmetic from books that say "2 Saddams plus 2 Saddams equals 4 Saddams."

"Terror is Losing"
New York Post March 19, 2004

Browsing the White House's website, I see they're countering the negative reporting by publishing a "fact a day" regarding Iraq, a practice I hope they'll continue. So, here is some more good news:

• 70 percent of Iraq's 4.3 million children under the age of five have been vaccinated against diseases including polio, tetanus, diphtheria, measles, and tuberculosis. The Ministry of Health is also conducting monthly vaccine days to reach additional children.
• Iraqis have a range of banking options -- 19 private banks with 140 branches across the country, and 315 state-owned bank branches that have reopened since liberation.
• Iraqi women are enjoying leadership opportunities in a New Iraq -- through a new $10 million program -- the Women's Democracy Initiative -- women will learn important skills for political advocacy, entrepreneurship, and journalism. Already, newly-opened women's centers in Baghdad, Hilla, Karbala, and other cities have become focal points for women seeking to participate in Iraq's political future.

I expect the protestors would, at this point, contend that we never should have liberated Iraq in the first place . . . but perhaps we can agree that all points mentioned above are beneficial to the people of Iraq?