The Center Cannot Hold

Its becoming obvious to a lot of voters that Iraq is a lost cause. Even that bastion of denial, the White House, is admitting that the four year occupation has failed to give birth to a strong central government that will be able to control the Sunni gangs turning Baghdad into Bombdag. In the south, Al Sadr's Shiite militia took Amarah briefly from security forces composed of another Shiite militia controlled by Abdul al Hakim in the absence of British troops now on the Iran boarder. One British journalist on the scene described the Amarah takeover as part of Shiite on Shiite violence throughout the southern region of the country. This fighting presages the struggle over oil revenues that will start when foreign troops leave. In the north, it is a forgone conclusion that the Kurds will separate from the Sunni center to establish their own long sought independence. An estimated 1.5 million Iraqis have fled the country. Thus, the national fault lines have appeared in Iraq and are getting wider each day. American troops are keeping a precarious lid on out right civil war, but its costing us men. Seventy died this week.
Former Secretary of State and Bush family consiglieri, Jim Baker is conducting a review of the situation for THE DECIDER, a telling sign that 'staying the course' is now judged by senior Republican leaders to be political suicide for the GOP. Its no surprise that in Washington, DC continuing political careers mean more than saving soldiers' lives.