U.S. Study Paints Somber Portrait of Iraqi Discord [undermining the far rosier White House/Pentagon depictions]

U.S. Study Paints Somber Portrait of Iraqi Discord - New York Times:

An internal staff report by the United States Embassy and the military command in Baghdad provides a sobering province-by-province snapshot of Iraq's political, economic and security situation, rating the overall stability of 6 of the 18 provinces "serious" and one "critical." The report is a counterpoint to some recent upbeat public statements by top American politicians and military officials.

"Vice President Dick Cheney, on the CBS News program 'Face the Nation,' suggested last month that the administration's positive views were a better reflection of the conditions in Iraq than news media reports.

'I think it has less to do with the statements we've made, which I think were basically accurate and reflect reality,' Mr. Cheney said, 'than it does with the fact that there's a constant sort of perception, if you will, that's created because what's newsworthy is the car bomb in Baghdad.'

In their public comments, the White House and the Pentagon have used daily attack statistics as a measure of stability in the provinces. Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, a senior military spokesman in Baghdad, told reporters recently that 12 of 18 provinces experienced 'less than two attacks a day.'

Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on the NBC News program 'Meet the Press' on March 5 that the war in Iraq was 'going very, very well,' although a few days later, he acknowledged serious difficulties."