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Rebuilding Iraq
By Wolf Blitzer
KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT (CNN) -- In recent days, two starkly different images have stuck in my mind. On the one hand, there was Camp Commando, the U.S. Marine base here in Kuwait not all that far from the Iraqi border. It was windy the day I was there and the sand was so all-pervasive. Removing it from my hair, eyes and body required a good steady shower when I got back to my hotel room. The Marines at the base had the bare essentials: tents, cots, decent military food and lots and lots of bottled water. One young officer told me he needs to drink five liter-and-a-half bottles of water a day simply to survive the sand, wind and heat. During my brief stay at the base, I managed to drink one of those plastic bottles full of cold water in record time. Let me assure you -- the elements make you thirsty. But I will say this: The Marines at the temporary facility are dedicated and hard-working. As rough as the conditions are at Camp Commando, they are much rougher inside Iraq -- let alone a lot more dangerous. So many of the Marines inside Kuwait stressed to me that they would much rather be with their comrades inside Iraq. Now, contrast that image to what's going on at the Hilton Hotel complex outside Kuwait City. It's a luxurious hotel on the Persian Gulf complete with a beautiful swimming pool, beach and cabanas. There are also rows and rows of what they call "villas" -- essentially small apartments with nice waterfront views. The U.S. government has basically taken over much of the hotel. It is here where the military press credentials are provided and where military briefings take place. Security at the hotel, as you can imagine, is intense. All cars, for example, entering the compound are stopped and searched. Everyone entering the complex goes through metal detectors. It is also here where retired U.S. Gen. Jay Garner has assembled his team of current and former U.S. military officers and government civil servants to prepare for the transition of power and day-to-day life from Saddam Hussein's ironclad rule to a new Iraqi order. So far, the transition has been chaotic; witness the looting and lawlessness on the streets of Baghdad and other Iraqi towns and cities. But the Bush administration's hope is that Gen. Garner and his team will shortly get their act together, set up shop inside Iraq and get things organized. Before that happens, of course, there has to be some semblance of security for the "advisers" moving into Iraq. All this will take time. The people who will help Gen. Garner are dedicated. They believe in their mission. They are also prepared to risk their lives by going into Iraq to try to accomplish their mission. Iraq is still a very, very dangerous place, especially if you are an American. You instantly become a target for a suicide bomber or other terrorists. These Americans know the coming weeks and months will be among the most challenging of their lives. At issue: Will a new and politically stable Iraq emerge in the ashes of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party rule? The stakes couldn't be higher. Please join me tonight at 5 p.m. ET for "Wolf Blitzer Reports." We'll bring you the latest news from Iraq and the surrounding region. Plus, we'll have live coverage of a memorial service at Fort Bliss in Texas for U.S. troops lost in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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