Representative Jane Harman (D-CA) recently visited Baghdad and has written an interesting public report on her trip.

Among her observations:

It’s still dangerous as hell to get into Iraq. Incoming C-130 flights are subject to small arms fire.

It’s still dangerous as hell to get from Baghdad Airport into Baghdad city, and thence to the Green Zone.

It’s still dangerous as hell trying to live in, or move around Iraq. Civilian, US Military, Iraq or American, everyone is at risk from small arms, IEDs, and EFPs.

Time is running out for us in Iraq. There people will vote for a new Constitution on October 15th, and for legislative representatives on December 15th.

The Bush administration has three months to convince the US people that this here thing is working. [ed: Stay tuned, massive PR campaign is on the way.]

Katrina, oil cost sticker shock, increasing US casualties can combine to turn the US population into rabid anti-war advocates.

We need to get electricity restored. [ed: Hello. Hasn’t the progressive side of the blogosphere been screaming that for two years?]

We need to start exporting Iraqi oil in a serious way, to create income. [ed: there’s quite a bit of evidence that a lot of oil has in fact been flowing, but since the BushCo folks have refused to install any valid measuring system there’s no way to be sure just how much.]

We need to get all the Iraqi Ministries working, especially Defense and Interior.

We need to get Zarqawi. [ed: Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha]

It’s all here.

Some fairly acerbic comments. (The TPM café regulars eat lots of red meat.)