Whither Iraq

I stretched back in the chaise and closed my eyes.  It was a clear morning with the temperature hovering in the mid 80's.  Lying in the sun, it was comfortably toasty and far preferable, for the moment, to watching a football game.

Every so often, a wind eddy would approach from the west.  I could hear it coming through the neighboring trees.  The wind chimes celebrated its movement across the yard and then the trees once more signalled its gradual departure, as the silence gave way to other relaxing sounds.

The birds were busy chatting as they ate at the feeder across the lawn.  Occasionally, I could hear the sound of one of the horses in the area, probably asking for a workout which - for some reason - rarely seemed to come.

Then a plane went by, low, taking off from the Perris Airport with another load of skydivers, and the noise was accentuated by a passing four-wheeler on its way to the nearby fields.

As the silence returned, my thoughts drifted back to the Sunday paper and I was overwhelmed by the dichotomy between my peaceful paradise and the reality of existence in Iraq.

Far from a life of lounging in chaises, skydiving, four-wheeling or watching weekend games, the people of Iraq must mainly be concentrating on just staying alive, I thought.

The latest casualty estimate pegs total Iraqi deaths at 150,000, and it is based simply on the observations of the number of dead each day.

Iraq's south in particular has come under the influence of rival Shiite Muslim militias lately, with anti-U.S. agendas.

Yesterday, police in Najaf discovered a cache of antitank rockets, armor piercing weapons and mortars hidden in the cemetery, of all places.

In Baghdad, two car bombs exploded near the main market, killing eight civilians and injuring 37.  These were just two more of what has become a continuing series of bombings in the area that have stiffled the local economy.

A roadside bomb in an upscale Sunni Muslim neighborhood in central Baghdad caused more death and injuries.

In west Baghdad, another roadside bomb killed three and injured three.

At the same time, a convoy of mini buses carrying civilians south of Baghdad was attacked by gunmen.  Many of the occupants were killed and an additional fifty were reported to have been kidnapped.  These are more than likely dead by now.

Assassins killed a police sergeant in East Baghdad and an official in Iraq's intelligence service in South Baghdad.

Iraqi police discovered the mutilated, bullet-ridden corpses of at least 24 men and women around the capital.

Gunmen killed two bodyguards of a former member of parliament in an east Baghdad shootout that left four people wounded, including the politician.

Suicide bombers rammed U.S. military convoys near Taji, 20 miles north of the capital, as well as in East Baghdad.

Such was life and death, on a November Saturday in Iraq.

And, on top of these daily acts of violence, it is now reported that theft, corruption and mismanagement have drained the health resources in the country. Further, hundreds of doctors have been killed and thousands have fled.  This, despite the fact that American taxpayers have infused nearly $1/2 billion into the Iraqi healthcare system.

As I guiltily abandoned my comfortable perch, I wondered, how anyone could think that there is any way to win this war.

It isn't a even a war, by any definition.  There is not an identifiable enemy army. There are no territorial battles.

The insurgents plant their bombs, in most cases, and fade away in the shadows, unididentifiable and anonymous.

What would the definition of a "victory" possibly be?

If it is peace between the warring factions, then it's quite obvious that our presence will have no bearing on that outcome, other than to continue to aggravate the situation, in all probability. 

The Iraq Study Group, under James Baker and Lee Hamilton is expected to meet with President Bush tomorrow. The committee has not finalized its recommendations, and, in fact, Tony Blair is planning to give evidence to it later this week.

Blair is expected to say that he favors diplomatic approaches to Iran and Syria and to give his opinion that peace in Iraq is contingent upon Israel working out a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

I sincerely hope the committee recommends that American military personnel be immediately removed from making dangerous patrols and be placed in the capacity of training Iraqis, subject to their phased withdrawal.

Secondly, I hope that no decision relative to the safety of our troops is contingent on a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians,

Nearly every president since Jimmy Carter has nearly knocked himself out to try and accomplish such a peace.  And every time a forward step is made, one party or the other breaks its word and takes the process two steps backwards.

In recent weeks, as in the period leading up to its failed invasion of Lebanon, it has been the Israelis committing a series of acts against the virtually imprisoned citizens of the Gaza Strip.  This has culminated in the killing, last week, of sixteen members of one of the Strip's largest and most respected middle class families and the wounding of 19 others. Many of the dead and maimed were children.

Israel said it was a "mistake," but - frankly - we have heard that excuse too many times, and it's wearing thin.

On Saturday, the U.N. attempted to condemn Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip and demand a withdrawal of Israeli troops.  The United States was the only country to oppose it, and John Bolton used his veto power to kill the resolution.

History has told us that there is not much we can do about Israel's problems, and certainly we should continue to be that country's ally, but I believe we should do so on the condition that they act more responsibly.

And, in no event, should Israel's situation have anything to do with getting our troops in Iraq out of harm's way.