Two Scenes

Two "scenes," from the latest Thomas Friedman column.

On my way into Iraq, I had a private chat with an Arab Gulf leader. He said something that still rings in my ear: "Thomas, everyone is keeping you busy in Iraq. The Russians are keeping you busy. The Chinese are keeping you busy. The Iranians are keeping you busy. The Saudis are keeping you busy. Egypt is keeping you busy. The Syrians are keeping you busy."

Uh-huh.

And:

Visiting Centcom commander, Adm. William Fallon, chats with the hospital staff, who are all here on different rotations — 30 days, 60 days, 180 days. He asks how they coordinate everyone. A voice from the back, an American nurse, says: "We're all on the same team, sir." I look around the room. I see African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans — the whole melting pot that is America — working together. Half are women, including mothers who have left their families for long stretches to serve here.

We don't deserve such good people — neither do Iraqis if they continue to hate each other more than they love their own kids.

More and more that looks like an "uh-huh," too.