bush tales

- Although President Bush said Wednesday that residents in Najaf and Mosul are "gaining a personal stake in a peaceful future," critics in the two Iraqi cities cite corruption, undemocratic institutions, persistent violence and stalled reconstruction. - "In a tale of two cities, President Bush yesterday heralded progress in northern Mosul and southern Najaf as new models for rebuilding Iraq. But last Friday, Iraq's government imposed emergency law and a curfew in Sunni-dominated Mosul and throughout Ninevah province, and a senior U.S. official in Baghdad yesterday referred to the city of about 1.7 million as "nasty Mosul."