Iraqis say reality is worse that Americans believe

Tom Lasseter of McClatchy in Iraq reports: "As security conditions continue to deteriorate in Iraq, many Iraqi politicians are challenging the optimistic forecasts of governments in Baghdad and Washington, D.C., with some worrying that the rosy views are preventing the creation of effective strategies against the escalating violence.

Their worst fear, one that some U.S. soldiers share, is that top officials don't really understand what's happening. Those concerns seem to be supported by statistics that show Iraq's violence has increased steadily during the past three years.

'The American policy has failed both in terms of politics and security, but the big problem is that they will not confess or admit that,' said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member of parliament.

'They are telling the American public that the situation in Iraq will be improved, they want to encourage positive public opinion (in the U.S.), but the Iraqi citizens are seeing something different. They know the real situation.'"