Arianna Huffington is angry that the media has become so hurricane-crazy that they’ve forgotten about Iraq:
[A]s monumental a story as Katrina is, why aren’t the American media capable of covering two disasters at the same time?
I’m talking, of course, about the other disaster facing our country, Iraq. You remember Iraq, don’t you? I wouldn’t blame you if it’s slipped your mind, because it has certainly fallen off the media radar screen since Katrina came ashore — devastating the Gulf Coast and blowing the devastation in the Persian Gulf off the front pages.
I guess it’s kind of obvious from the occasional sniping I’ve done that I agree, mostly, although I think she’s overstating the case. Certainly, I had no problem finding news about the almost-unprecedented levels of violence in Baghdad this morning.
But the greater point remains: Iraq hasn’t gone away and it hasn’t gotten better. And the massive fuckups in Lousiana and Mississippi neatly mirror the massive fuckups in Iraq, and it would be worthwhile for the media to do a better job of disseminating that fact.
Anyway, Arianna has a good summary of the recent news from Iraq, go take a look.