The reason there is fighting is there is resistance to the occupation, along with a ethno-sectarian civil war.

Or perhaps even the other way around.

isn’t that all the DC media does these days?

At the time, the bombers were described in news reports as “dressed in the uniforms of Iraqi security forces.” I remember thinking, curious how they can tell they weren’t actual Iraqi security forces, no?

Also, I was thinking *cough* mossad *cough*.

- it didn’t kill anyone (the Sunni bombers seem to like to kill people as much as destroy things); and
- nobody has claimed responsibility for the bombing that I’m aware of.

Iran has claimed that the US was actually responsible for the bombing. It seems odd until you consider that, if we weren’t trying to actively stoke division in Iraq, we’d be the stupidest occupiers in recorded history. Rule number one of occupying a foreign land: divide and rule. The escalation of civil strife has led to an escalation of US presence in Iraq. Now “nobody” (according to several articles I’ve read quoting “experts”) is talking about a total withdrawal from Iraq because it would harm the country too much. So permanent bases become a given. The government continues to be completely beholden to us. We’re in it for the long haul. And at the cost of a mere 1000 deaths a year – not actually a bad deal!

And now the Shiites & Sunnis will never join forces to kick the occupiers out. Perfect!

Look, I don’t know why we want to continue to rule Iraq but then again, I didn’t know why we wanted to invade in the first place. But we did and we are, and now nothing’s gonna stop us. Particularly when nobody’s questioning whether the US might not have an interest in stoking the flames of civil war.

A successful, lightning-quick tank rush had allowed us to secure the Oil Ministry from looting, Saddam’s statue had just been pulled down by cheering GOP stooges, and any day now Uday and Kusay would be captured and the countryside would shine with the sunlight of freeance and peance. And bunnies.

Word.

That said, I’m also real tired of hearing about the “War in Iraq”. The war ended in the summer of ‘03, when the regime fell and the US took the capitol. Since that time, it’s been an occupation, not a war. The reason there is fighting is there is resistance to the occupation, along with a ethno-sectarian civil war. But America is not fighting a “war”, and it would be a lot better for all if this was recognized.

mikey

You’re missing the point. Bush and the Pentagon claim that it was all going fine and according to plan and that there was no civil war until that particular bombing. I’ve seen Pace make that argument repeatedly.

Why it matters is that claims that there was no civil war until the bombing of the Golden Mosque are generally followed by accusatory glances in Iran’s direction.

Jeffrey White, a former Defense Intelligence Agency specialist in Middle Eastern security issues, said, “I do not think things were going well before the bombing.” White, now an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, added: “The insurgency was not controlled. Incident levels were rising.”

Shrine Bombing as War’s Turning Point Debated
Administration Says Event Increased Violence, but Many Iraq Experts Disagree

I am just the dumb son, my real story’s seldom told
I have squandered reputations for a pocketful of rubble, and some no-bid deals
All lies and jest, still I just hear what I want to hear
And disregard the rest, hmmmm

Lie lie lie, lie lie lie-lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie
Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie lie-lie lie lie lie . . .

Turning points can turn things from bad to worse.

Absolutely. The attack on the Samarra Shrine was the day it turned from totally fucked to ohmygoditsdoomed. 3/22 was the day Iraq as a country became no longer viable.

Geez… How can anybody take you seriously if you can’t get your memes right?

Look, here’s the thing — this collective amnesia is insane. The endeavor was FUCKED, the minute the asshole declared Mission Accomplished and we stayed. There was NEVER a positive outcome precisely because things like the bombing were inevitable.

Remember this. All of the time.

Baghdad seems like a dream to us now.
It took four years to get here from Shockinawe
We’re still being fucked by America.