No Progress

I see no signs of progress in Iraq, and no reason for optimism in the short term.

From CNN:

Pentagon: Cold-blooded carnage soaring in Iraq

Death squads and terrorists have ramped up attacks on civilians in Iraq, killing more than 1,600 people in cold-blooded "execution-style" slayings in July alone, a Pentagon report said Friday.

Iraqi casualties up 51 percent in June-August; attacks up 15 percent.

From the Washington Post:

Iraqi Hospitals Are War's New 'Killing Fields'
Medical Sites Targeted By Shiite Militiamen

Mounthir Abbas Saud, whose right arm and jaw were ripped off when a car bomb exploded six months ago, must have thought the worst was over when he arrived at Ibn al-Nafis Hospital, a major medical center here.

Instead, it had just begun. A few days into his recovery at the facility, armed Shiite Muslim militiamen dragged the 43-year-old Sunni mason down the hallway floor, snapping intravenous needles and a breathing tube out of his body, and later riddled his body with bullets, family members said.

Authorities say it was not an isolated incident.

More than 2,6oo American soldiers have died. An unknown number if Iraqis have died. Billions of dollars have been spent. Legitimate objectives (such as capturing Bin Laden) have been moved to the 'back burner.' And yet Iraq is not safe. In fact, it is getting less safe.

I'm neither morally or intellectually confused, Mr. Rumsfeld. The decision to invade Iraq was demonstrably bad. Your management of that invasion, worse.

GP