Ward and June al Cleaver and their two sons, Walli and Beav al Cleaver shown here in their Baghdad home.
The photo above is said to depict the President’s vision of “the typical Iraqi family in the “post Saddam era,
by that I mean the era that is after Saddam,” the President is reported to have said. The photo was leaked exclusively
to Worldwide Sawdust by an anonymous but highly placed source who told this reporter that “this will be the
President’s final comment on what constitutes victory in Iraq.”
An Iraq that has defeated the terrorists and neutralized the insurgency.
An Iraq that is peaceful, united, stable, democratic, and secure, where Iraqis have the institutions and resources they need to govern themselves justly and provide security for their country.
An Iraq that is a partner in the global war on terror and the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, integrated into the international community, an engine for regional economic growth, and proving the fruits of democratic governance to the region.
From the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq – Victory in Iraq Defined
As the President has insisted all along “we are making progress in Iraq,” so in an attempt to assist the pres in explaining his vision for victory I would like to point out some of the ongoing success stories.
Before our humanitarian invasion of Iraq the only people who could buy a decent armored vehicle were those close to Saddam and his tight circle of fellow despots.
I’m happy to report that (the President doesn’t want to seem as if he’s blowing his own horn on this) is no longer the case. All Iraqi citizen’s are now able to purchase armored vehicles for their own use for travel in their democratic and increasingly secure country thanks to a Texas company that specializes in refitting vehicles.
Texas Armoring, a small San Antonio, TX vehicle security refitting company, has had over $6 million in sales in the Iraq marketplace. Servicing both reconstruction and non-reconstruction clients, Texas Armoring has been successfully marketing its products throughout Iraq with the help of local sales agents. All of the add-on parts used in the company?s refitting are manufactured in its plant at San Antonio. Over twenty-five new positions at its company plant have been created to support demand for its products as well as 3 Iraqi sales agents employed in the region.
Texas Armoring has been manufacturing its product for over 25 years. According to Ronald Kimball, president of Texas Armoring, ? We are pleased that we are a part of the efforts that are being made to save lives?.
In the bad old days it was next to impossible to get an appointment with anyone in Saddams government to do a bit of business. Not so any more, as part of our reconstruction efforts facilitating will be a growth industry just as it is inside the beltway.
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, ( Yes, that Baker) a law firm with 10 offices across the South Central U.S. and in Washington, D.C., as well as a representative office in Beijing, China has established a presence in Baghdad and Sulaimanya, Iraq. Charles “Rick” Johnston, chairman of the firm’s international transactions and trade group, has established the firm’s presence in an effort to better serve a variety of international clients with interests in Iraq and the region. As part of its legal services, Baker Donelson helps companies identify business opportunities, facilitates business partnerships, introduces clients to interim Iraqi government officials and assesses the political, legal and business climate. Baker Donelson engages the services of Iraqi nationals on an as needed basis to augment client representation.
The firm made this move at the request of clients to provide a professional base of operations, expertise, and contacts within in Iraq’s emerging economy, says Baker Donelson chairman and CEO Ben Adams. Adams says Johnston is “an exceptionally qualified international lawyer and under his direction the firm is well-equipped to serve the multidisciplinary needs of clients in this extremely dynamic environment.” Baker Donelson sees Iraq as another opportunity to serve global businesses with interests in emerging international markets. With Johnston in Iraq, the firm will be identifying contract and business opportunities in the reconstruction of the country. The firm will help its clients communicate with government officials, decision makers and advisers overseeing the preparation and awarding of reconstruction contracts.
Nothing is left out of the President’s vision for the reconstruction of Iraq. You might think that just because there’s no clean water, electricity only flows for a few hours each day, and many homes are sort of bombed out that people would not be redecorating. You would be sooo wrong.
Home Essentials, a medium-size furniture leasing operation out of Dallas, Texas, has announced the opening of its office in Baghdad, Iraq. Home Essentials has entered into a partnership with URUK Furniture Design, an Iraqi furniture enterprise.
With this move it has become the first foreign furniture leasing operation to have a direct presence in Iraq. Home Essentials initial investment exceeds $500,000. The Iraq venture and partnership has already resulted in 15 new Iraqi jobs, however, the company anticipates this number increasing.
U.S. Department of Commerce officials assisted and advised Home Essentials in its venture into the Iraqi market. Assistance by the Iraq Investment and Reconstruction Task Force has been extremely helpful in helping Home Essentials expand its venture into the Iraq marketplace.
Home Essentials presence in Iraq is one example of the numerous private sector trade and investment opportunities in Iraq. Mr. Chris Exline, President of Home Essentials, stated, ?Those that deem Coalition contracts and U.S. contracts as the reason for entering Iraq miss the picture. Iraq has a need for everything. The consumer market and general population require consumables, raw materials, products, real estate expertise?anything we have in the U.S. is needed in post-conflict Iraq. The best days are ahead.?
If there is no electricity in Baghdad it’s certainly not the fault of this next outfit which comes to us from Houston. They are also in the paint business for those who want to paint before they order furniture from Dallas.
The Khudairi Group, a large diversified company located in Houston, Texas, has a strong presence in the Middle East with offices in Jordan and Iraq. In addition to owning and operating several types of businesses in Iraq, The Khudairi Group is a major construction equipment dealer. Other areas of operation include paint manufacturing, food products, general contracting and a security company offering physical site protection.
The Khudairi has employed several dozen Iraqis in its operations and has brought Iraq engineers to its U.S. site for training as well. According to Mr. Aziz Khudairi the company’s motto “Together we will rebuild Iraq” perfectly captures the spirit of The Khudairi Group activities.
Even the worst skeptics should be able to see from this brief list that enormous progress is being made in Texas from the fruits of Iraqi reconstruction and there are many more success stories.
The last company above is also the exclusive distributor of John Deere equipment in Iraq where such equipment has become all the rage, after all, nothing runs like a Deere.
Bob Higgins