Hard Work

Blogger is acting up again. I’m considering switching to Typepad but it costs $$ and I just don’t want to add more costs to my already burdened pocketbook.

In other news in the world…

Iraq is in a state of emergency, as declared by Iyad Allawi. But this is no surprise.

Israel is planning to have Yassir Arafat buried in Gaza, which will prompt violence and protests from the Palestinians (but then, what doesn’t?).

I’m curious to see how Bush deals with the Palestinian issue, with Arafat’s imminent death. He has his hands full with Iraq, I know. And it’s all such hard work.

I think it is hard work, but not so much for Bush:

“American and Iraqi forces are continuing preparations for the attack, amid reports that more than 100 insurgents have volunteered to drive suicide car bombs into the advancing troops."

The BBC article notes that Allawi wants to prevent an all-out attack on Fallujah if possible. That statement makes it seem as if Allawi has a modicum of power. Certainly, he can negotiate with insurgent leaders on the ground, but the big military decisions are still made by the US.

“It is reported from inside Falluja that insurgents, tribal chiefs and Sunni Muslim clerics have invited the media to enter the city under their protection to witness any assault, which they described as a crusade against Islam.”

I am still not clear about the difference between insurgents and terrorists. Who are we fighting? Bush avoids making any distinction.

"The broadcasts [of confessions of foreign terrorists] were seen as a means of preparing the population for the coming attack on Fallujah, where the government says it's after foreigners and "terrorists" not city residents who are not involved in the insurgency.” – AP/Salon

But how can you tell? This is urban warfare, the most difficult kind of fighting. Plus, if someone was invading your country, destroying homes, wouldn’t you become an insurgent?
This kind of statement makes the action seem more precise (like “surgical strikes”) than is possible. And, need I add, that article suggests that the war created more terrorists, more violence, than was in Iraq before?

I hope the soldiers in Iraq are successful, I hope the economy does get better. At the same time, I want Bush and the Republicans to pay for the mess that they created.

More on possible GOP problems in another post.