Jill Carroll Released

The news that Jill Carroll had been released got me to jump for joy in my kitchen before 8 this morning, something that has never, ever happened.

Carroll was a class act, too. She was quick to say she was not mistreated, making it clear as she has always wanted to present the situation of real Iraqis. I doubt many of us could have been so balanced were we to lose more than two months of our freedom.

While far too many have lost their lives, the peace group's freed men and Jill Carroll show that some of these captors aren't just there to destroy. However, Iraqis and Muslims themselves are frequently the greatest targets of violence, while whites from the West are often considered at least pawns to bargain for. Carroll's Muslim translator, for example, was killed when she was taken.

Remember, too, that we have troops and contractors that have disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. But far too many Iraqis have met this fate. And for this, I do not blame Saddam who has been a non-issue since March 2003. I blame the Bushies and those disastrous contract companies we sent in there.