by Thomas Oliphant

Boston Globe

08/17/04

With inadequate notice, the absurd linkage invented by President Bush to join 'war in Iraq' with 'war on terror' has fractured, raising the question not only whether anyone in his administration can explain what is going on but also whether anyone can explain what the United States is doing in Iraq.

The siege of Najaf and its sacred Shi'ite sites is hardly a military challenge. The Army and Marine units there can obviously crush all opposition and occupy the city whenever commanders choose. Instead, the siege is a political challenge that in the short run greatly increases the risk of more US combat deaths as commanders try to discern which masters they are serving, even as it calls into question the purpose of what remains a de facto occupation that is open-ended in terms of cost and duration...

http://tinyurl.com/59o4e


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp