Iraq

Bush: "It was a tough week"

No shit.

Over 600 Iraqi dead.



This must count as one of the most inept "bringing of democracy" ever!



This started basically when Israel bombed an old blind and quadruplegic cleric in a wheelchair.

Followed shortly afterwards on March 28 by banning that young firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's newspaper al-Hawza (which had a very small circulation, about 10.000, I believe)

Followed by Americans arresting the second in command of Muqtada al-Sadr.

Followed by more protests and demonstrations that were broken up by US troops, with violence... followed by bigger and angrier demonstrations which were broken up with more violence... which spread to all the major cities in Iraq.



Include in this mix those four four "American civilians" working for a private security firm who were killed and mutilated, set on fire and hung from a bridge (although, I would have thought since the Americans blithely used a napalm derivate during the invasion, they would not exactly be opposed to people being set on fire).



Anyway, Bremer then decided to compound the situation by producing a month-old arrest warrant for Muqtada al-Sadr.



To crown it all the marines are sent into a civilian area with, it seems, instructions that came fresh from the Israeli army.



Over 600 dead, about half of them women and children. This is worse than disgraceful, it's a war crime.

Through this all, Bush calls them "a small faction" and "a band of thugs" who are "attempting to derail Iraqi democracy and seize power" and then goes off to play golf on his ranch.