Not-so-good news from Iraq

Millions of Iraqis lack water, healthcare: Red Cross
By Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters
16 March 2008
GENEVA (Reuters) - Five years after the United States led an invasion of Iraq, millions of people there are still deprived of clean water and medical care, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday.

Whatever happened to Laura Bush's pet Iraq project: a multi-million dollar children's hospital? I've not seen much about that in the news recently.

[I try not to engage in the navel-gazing media criticism prevalent on other blogs, and in MSM... but the comment above reminds me of something...]

One of the honest services I see this blog providing is historical context. When old words and actions are relevant, I cite them, and provide a source. "Old" in this case is relative - I sometimes reference Presidential press conferences from just a few months past, and sometimes (rarely) cite the views of 14th century Inquisitors... but I do try to provide some context in which to embed comments on current news. My citations of the U.S. Constitution are intended to provide an appropriate context to "today's news".

It's really not that hard. In Iraq it comes down to, "What did we say we'd do?", following up with brief compare/contrast essay on what we've in fact achieved.
Why are professional journalists unable or unwilling to practice this very simple contextual reporting? In covering Iraq, all it takes is something as simple as inquiring as to current status of some previously promised project - like Mrs. Bush's children's hospital.

The State Department has stopped publishing information about availability of electricity in Baghdad. Shouldn't our esteemed press be asking the question anyway?... especially since the information is no longer routinely published by the govt?