Are Iraqis happy to see us or not?

Leading up to the war in Iraq, the issue of whether the United States would be viewed as “liberators” in Iraq was the subject of intense debate. The administration insisted we would be and our popularity would make the war go smoother, faster, and with fewer casualties on both sides.

After some initially tougher-than-expected battles in southern Iraq in the early stages of the war, many thought the administration’s claims were being proven false. Newsweek, for example, mocked Vice President Cheney for telling the nation that “we will be greeted as liberators.” The magazine called it “an arrogant blunder for the ages.”

Things changed awfully quickly after Hussein’s regime fell in Baghdad. Like everyone else in the world with access to a television, I saw Iraqis cheering our troops, throwing flowers, and tearing down statues. Some footage captured Baghdad residents literally hugging and kissing soldiers to show their appreciation. These images help prove that we were, in fact, seen as liberators. The Iraqi people, it seemed, were desperate to break free of Hussein’s tyranny and they were ecstatic to see us drive him from power. While it didn’t prove the administration right about the utility or wisdom of launching the invasion, it did suggest to me that they were right about this point.

I was surprised to learn, therefore, that the sight of Baghdad residents protesting American presence is common to those in the area, if not on American television. As Canada’s CBC reported, crowds gather in front of Palestine Hotel, where international journalists are staying and where U.S. Marines have established an operations center, for “daily” demonstrations. “The tone of the protests is increasingly anti-American, and on Tuesday included denunciations of Iraqi police as collaborators with Saddam Hussein’s regime.”

There are daily anti-American protests? This doesn’t seem to be getting the same kind of air time the hugs and kisses were getting.

The New York Times also noted that our popularity is quickly starting to suffer, saying that “protests against the American forces [in Iraq] are rising by the day.”

The Times explained that “several hundred Iraqis” gather regularly in front of the Palestine Hotel. The paper quoted one teacher as saying “Down, down U.S.A. — don’t stay, go away!” and “Bush is the same as Saddam.”

While these protests have only garnered the interest of hundreds of Iraqis angry at America, there were 20,000 Iraqis protesting earlier this week in Nasiriya against U.S. presence in the country.

On the one hand, it’s fascinating to see people who lacked any and all free speech rights taking to the streets in the hopes that their pleas will be heard. On the other hand, while Iraqis seem thrilled to be rid of Saddam, some (maybe most) of the country may not be anxious to see American forces stay indefinitely.

We may be viewed as liberators, but not liberators with an open invitation to stick around to celebrate a country’s new found freedom.

What’s worse, journalists in Baghdad are apparently being discouraged from covering the protests. As Agence France-Presse reported, “exasperated U.S. military officials tried to hamper the media from covering new demonstrations in Baghdad on Tuesday…. [V]isibly angered U.S. military officials sought to distance the media from the protest, moving reporters and cameras about 30 meters from the barbed-wired entrance to the hotel.”

The AFP also reported, “The crowd later moved to the nearby square where the statue of Saddam was toppled Wednesday to signal the end of the regime. As three of the marines’ armored amphibious vehicles passed by, they chanted: ‘No, no, USA.’ Meanwhile, demonstrators marched to the center of the predominantly Shiite southern city of Nasiriyah, chanting ‘Yes to freedom, yes to Islam, no to America, no to Saddam.'”

I know our troops are performing heroically under incredibly difficult circumstances, but it’s imperative that journalists are able to freely report on what’s actually happening in Iraq without interference. There’s no legitimate reason for officials to encourage journalists to show us images of happy Iraqis thanking American troops, then turn around and discourage coverage of protests of Iraqis wishing we’d leave.