On the day when thousands of U.S. and Iraqi forces have entered Fallujah to kick some insurgent ass, Leah at Corrente takes note of an article in the Washington Post which reports on local Iraqi efforts to create a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Fallujah and elsewhere. She is rightly angered to find that the administration wanted no part of it. Can anyone who isn’t a completely crazed neocon not understand that the offer described above has the makings of a major breakthrough, one that Bush & Co could even take credit for, deserved or not, one they could … Continue reading →

In January there is supposed to be a national election in Iraq, which should be the start of their status as a full, free nation, though they’ll still be dependent on the U.S. military for security. In order to hold an election, you first have to register voters. Juan Cole reports that there is a shortage of cards used for registering new voters. The cards are based on the old U.N. food ration list, which were given by household, not by individual, so it’s not entirely clear how many voters need to be registered. The information Cole cites indicates that … Continue reading →

So our troops are moving into position for a final assault on Fallujah. I’m very worried that it will turn out to be a disaster, both for our troops and for the innocent civilians who remain in the city. It’s not clear how many do remain; CNN was saying that 50,000 people are still there out of a population of 250,000 previously. I’d be surprised if all of those 50,000 were insurgents. I hope for the best, and hold Bush and his administration responsible for the massive disaster that Iraq has become.