The Waiting Room

I was ushered into a fairly large and ornate waiting room. The waiting room is just outside the main conference room in a building know as the “New White House”. It is a large white building along the Tigris River surround by fountains and nice landscaping. In the waiting room is a large oil painting of the people known as the Marsh Arabs. The painting appears to be two brothers and their sister (smiling) in a dug out canoe on the marsh water with a grass thatch home in the background. Soon, about 15 Iraqi Army generals enter the room. The senior officer is a 3-star Iraqi general from a province where the most fighting continues. They are there to update the Ministerial Council for National Security (MCNS, their National Security Agency) on the fight against terrorists. They all greeted me warmly. We sat on large couches with soft red upholstery and white/gold wood trim. Soon, several body guards entered and then in walked Prime Minster Nouri Maliki. I was the second one he greeted as we shook hands, and he proceed to greet all of the Iraqi officers. He was sincere and generous in his greeting. The following week at the MCNS, I presented one of our reconstruction projects to PM Maliki and his council. The presentation was well received and appreciated. As Deputy Commander, it looks like I will be making these presentations on a regular basis and spending some time in the Waiting Room.
Gen. Petraeus on winning hearts and minds
“… We’re not about winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqis – our goal should be to help Iraqis win hearts and minds of fellow Iraqis.” (ABC, Mar 08)