Bombs Kill at Least 90 People in Iraq
 

Bomb Attacks Strike
"A bomb followed by a mortar attack struck a market in a predominantly Shiite town north of Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 12 people and wounding nearly 30, police said."

The latest bombings were a further sign of what appears to be a renewed campaign of Sunni insurgent violence against Shiite targets. Last week, 142 Iraqis were killed or found dead on Tuesday alone, including 65 students at a leading Baghdad university who died in twin car bombings.

Al-Maliki was convinced of the truth of American intelligence reports which contended, among other things, that his protection of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia was isolating him in the Arab world and among moderates at home, two government officials said.

"Al-Maliki realized he couldn't keep defending the Mahdi Army because of the information and evidence that the armed group was taking part in the killings, displacing people and violating the state's sovereignty," said one official.

"There are many intelligence agencies acting on the ground, and they know what's going on," said the second official, confirming the Americans had given al-Maliki overwhelming evidence about the Mahdi Army's deep involvement in the sectarian slaughter.

Last Friday, in a bid to fend off an all-out American military offensive, al-Sadr ordered 30 lawmakers and six Cabinet ministers under his control to end their nearly two-month boycott of the government. They were back at their jobs Sunday."

I wonder why the violence is getting increasingly worse every time the freedom forces take over an insurgent area or an Iraqi political decision is made favoring freedom.

And the rest of the time, too.

One could ascribe it to desperation increasing the fury of the anti-democracy faction, or else just put it down to how bad fascists suck just generally.

HM - there are good things happening over there - we are taking small steps and trying to fight against a generation of supression and oppression. War isn't pretty and it virtually NEVER goes to plan. There have been mistakes, surprises and accidents as well as losses - no doubt, but this has to happen.

Why? Because #1 something vague about 9/11, or something about freedom or something #2 something else, about forcing people to have the right to make their own choice, by God, whether they like it or not, or #3 something about vaguely "striking back" at Islam, by ousting a secular leader and replacing him with Islamic leaders (???) or #4 something like Moe said on the Simpons after he decided to get the mechanical bull instead of cable TV, you know "sticking with your decisions" just to help soothe your buyer's remorse...or is there a new reason "why this has to happen" that I haven't heard yet? Maybe, just to be ornery?

I guess it's pretty efficient that Bush went in without one, then.

Yeah, thats right- He went in without a plan. Just throw a bunch of people over there and hope for the best. Thats about all he thought. I'm sure.:eyebrow:

Once "major combat operations" were "over", they had no plan. They sent random Heritage Foundation college grads over there to run things. Donald Rumsfeld said that the rampant looting was a right of free people. They truly were expecting the flowers in the streets, and the continuation of civil society.

Got a legitimate source for that quote?

We freed them from the tyrannical reign of a monster - why would we expect them to be grateful?

Some might say it's better the devil you know than the one you don't.

So now America is the devil?

I guess that depends on whose perspective you're asking for.

Obviously yours Ali, you made the reference.