“60 Minutes” ran a wonderful segment on the restoration of the Iraqi marshes.
Saddam Hussein drained thousands of miles of marshland after the 1991 War and slaughtered the Marsh Arabs who lived there. But after Iraq was liberated from this brutal tyrant the US helped resurrect this region in southern Iraq.
Watch CBS News Videos Online
One of the worst environmental disasters of the late 20th Century was the destruction of these Iraqi marshes by Saddam Hussein.
But, George W. Bush restored the marshes.
In early 2003, less than 10% of the Mesopotamian Marshlands remained. By early 2004, 40% of the marshlands had been re-flooded. Since the liberation of Iraq the marshes have been restored to over 85% of their former glory.

A photogragh in 1977 of the marshlands before Saddam drained the land of water. (Nik Wheeler)
George W. Bush not only liberated 50 million people from two of the most brutal regimes in history, he also brought life back to the Iraqi marshes.
Unfortunately, “60 Minutes” did not get around to thanking George W. Bush for restoring the Iraqi marshes. Without George W. Bush’s courage and persistence none of this would have been possible.
That’s just sad.
Related… During the Bush years air pollution levels in every category fell from 2001 to 2007.
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Published May 23, 2012 at 4:57 am - 68 Comments
Terry Gain commented:
32* million Afstans and 28* million Iraqis. For the 20th time Jim, 32 + 28 = 60.
* CIA Factbook.
bg commented:
++
Thank You President Bush & COTW!!
Godspeed Iraq!! (thumbsup)
==
Insufficiently Sensitive commented:
The MSM campaign to demonize GWB was very successful, and had a lot to do with the election of the most anti-Bush candidate – the unseasoned, uneducated, inexperienced, malicious Barak Obama. That demonization continues at full throttle, and under no circumstances will the MSM credit Bush with any positive accomplishments. Why? Because the MSM is in constant Obama-supporting position, and encourages BO to blame all his current misjudgements and malfeasances on the Bush administration whenever possible.
Read “The Marsh Arabs”, by Wilfred Thesiger.
Terry Gain commented:
That demonization continues at full throttle, and under no circumstances will the MSM credit Bush with any positive accomplishments. Why
WHY? If Bush was right, then they were wrong.
Mike W commented:
Now if we can only control the pollution spewed by the salad tossers we would be making real gains.Would salad tossers make a good lining for marsh lands?
AuntieMadder commented:
Mike W, alligators will eat any critters. Save the ‘gators! Feed ‘em salad…tossers.
Mike W commented:
AuntieMadder Coyotes wont eat a salad tosser and they eat anything and I think alligators have a higher standard of dietary intake then a coyote.
JPL17 commented:
Their name should be “60 A-Holes.”
IOpian commented:
One thing I have never heard mentioned. In the place where human civilization began there had never been a democratically elected government. Now there is. This is historic on a grand time scale. In future history centuries from now the name Bush will be associated with the event, none of his critics will even be worthy of mentioning.
squeaky commented:
Terry Gain
November 19th, 2009 | 8:45 pm | #4
i’ve thought that continually. same with 9/11.
any acknowledgement would damage their
“legacy” – how they’re remembered. it’s about
them…..
Don Rodrigo commented:
The Iraqi government should invite Bush to tour the marsh region with full press coverage.
Odysseus commented:
So, if Bush’s invasion of Iraq was “terrorism,” and he allowed the marshes to be restored, does that make Bush an eco-terrorist?