4 Bombs Kill at Least 127 People in Baghdad BAGHDAD (AP) — Four large bombs exploded across Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 127 people and wounding scores as violence climbed toward levels seen before the U.S.-Iraqi campaign to pacify the capital began two months ago. In the deadliest of the attacks, a parked car bomb detonated in a crowd of workers at the Sadriyah market in central Baghdad, killing at least 82 people and wounding 94, said Raad Muhsin, an official at Al-Kindi Hospital where the victims were taken…. Among the dead were several construction workers who had been … Continue reading →

Along with several other bloody attacks in Iraq today, we have this: The latest massacre of Iraqi children came as 21 Shia market workers were ambushed, bound and shot dead north of the capital. The victims came from the Baghdad market visited the previous day by John McCain, the US presidential candidate, who said that an American security plan in the capital was starting to show signs of progress. I certainly hope these murders are not connected to the visit by our government officials, but it’s impossible not to wonder.

The NYTimes has a follow-up today on McCain’s visit to that Baghdad market. The reporter asked merchants in the market about McCain’s visit, and about the security situation there overall. A day after members of an American Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain pointed to their brief visit to Baghdad

I was watching CNN yesterday when I heard this interesting one-two interview by Wolf Blitzer. John McCain was going on about how CNN was so far behind in their reporting, because the security situation is so improved in Baghdad that Americans can walk the streets safely, but CNN is acting like that’s not the case. So after talking with McCain, Blitzer turned to CNN reporter Michael Ware, who is in Baghdad now, and asked him about McCain’s charges. Ware states clearly that McCain is the one who is out of touch. “Honestly, Wolf, you’ll barely last twenty minutes out there. … Continue reading →

By nearly 60%, according to this Pew study A solid majority of Americans say they want their congressional representative to support a bill calling for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq by August 2008. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) say they would like to see their representative vote for such legislation, compared with just 33% who want their representative to oppose it. Pass the word, and don’t let the media tell you otherwise. Via TPM’s Election Central