When Progress Kills

Earlier this week Senator John McCain caught a lot of grief for his assertion that the security situation in Iraq is improving. He made this observation after visiting Baghdad with a small entourage of a hundred soldiers, accompanied by a number of armored vehicles and helicopters. Today in a column in several newspapers, McCain goes into greater detail to back up his claim that Iraq is turning into some sort of utopia on the Euphrates.

Well, the man has certainly won me over! In fact, let's take a look at some of the wonderful things that have happened over the last several days in the all-new secure Iraq:

• A truck bomb went off south of Baghdad, killing at least 15 people. Fortunately the explosion took place next to a hospital, so the maimed and wounded didn't have very far to crawl for medical attention. In the old, pre-improved Iraq, this attack would have taken place several miles from the nearest medical facility.
  
  
• Meanwhile, crazy Shiite cleric Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on Iraqis to stop battling one another and to start fighting the "evil" Americans instead. Again, it's a sign of progress in Iraq that a major religious leader is making such a dramatic call for unity.
  
  
• Finally, another ten U.S. soldiers died over the weekend in Iraq.

Hmmm.... Okay, I have to admit that last one has me stumped. Perhaps McCain would care to explain exactly how that fits into his concept of progress in Iraq.

EASTER IN IRAQ