Iraq disintegrates

It appears that an all out civil war has begun in Iraq. Not only did Bush hear and Rumsfeld feel the U.S. election results as they should have, the Iraqis watched as well. What they saw was that the leaders of the U.S. war commitment had been rebuked and the clock is ticking on the level of U.S. involvement in Iraq. The Sunnis are panicked and on the attack. The Shiites see the opportunity to be more aggressive. With yesterday's bombing in Kurdish northwest Iraq, someone is attempting to draw them into this mess.

The world community outside of the Middle East is standing back, staying clear of flying glass. Any hope that the Bush administration finally might try, at least through back door channels, to get Syria, possibly, or Iran, however unlikely, to aid in negotiating some kind of truce now seems impossible after the assassination in Lebannon.

If there are a few more weeks on this path of escalating "terrorist" and "militia" violence, these events will just be combat. Bleak situation.