Maybe They Meant "Showers"--of Lead

Three Marines were killed today in "liberated" Fallujah. By the way--Today in Iraq has more on the assault--note that this was the "largest concentration of heavy armor amassed since the fall of Berlin." Another perspective on the city comes from Michael Ware, Baghdad bureau chief for Time. Now, Fallujah is a special case, but can anyone possibly imagine an election taking place there? The city is completely devastated. Restrictions on returning residents would be comical if they weren't so serious. And--the "victory" there isn't: I believe the idea was to eradicate the insurgents. Not only has that NOT happened, at today's tragic news demonstrates, but the wake of destruction is as close a guarantee you can get that more will take up arms against the occupation. Speaking of which: you've gotta love Rummy's excuse for STILL refusing to send more soldiers (not that it would really do much good at this point anyway)--when asked at his press conference about sending more troops, the Rumster replied, "...Our task is not to get in there with a persistent presence of Americans over a sustained period of time, because that has the counterproductive aspect of it of creating additional targets and creating a sense of occupation..."

Um, excuse me, but what else IS the presence of 150,000 US soldiers in Iraq if it's NOT an occupation? Jesus H. Christ, it's as if Rumsfeld opted for brain removal surgery sometime between January of 2001 and now. Ungoddamnedbelievable. Between sucking up to Ahmad Chalabi and utter blind refusal to comprehend that invading Iraq wasn't going to be a walk in the park--well, Rumsfeld will now truly find himself remembered in history--as one of the downright DUMBEST individuals ever to occupy the office of Secretary of Defense.

I guess that's fitting, considering who his boss is...