re: On the contrary
There is an enormous amount of on-the-ground communication between our troops and the Iraqi people, on many levels, clear down to participation in tribal governments. Stories about this show up in the military press and blogs, but rarely make it to the rest of the media.
The British and Basra are often used as an example, but Basra isn't an untarnished success story by any means. It's important to realize that military success is not always equivalent to "nobody shooting at us."