A Civil War By Any Other Name

McClatchy (09.01.06):

"A struggle between Sunni and Shiite Muslim extremists seeking to control Baghdad has eclipsed the Sunni insurgency against U.S.-led coalition forces and is spreading to other parts of the country, the Pentagon said Friday. More than 300 Iraqis have died in sectarian violence this week, including 64 who were killed in a series of coordinated attacks Thursday night in Baghdad, which has been the target of a U.S.-Iraqi campaign to improve security." Pentagon reports an increase in factional fighting in Iraq

"In its latest quarterly report to Congress on conditions in Iraq, the Defense Department says Iraqi casualties grew by more than 50 percent in the three months that ended in early August. The 63-page report concluded that while the sustained violence between ethnic and religious groups is now the greatest threat to Iraq's security and stability and could lead to civil war, the Sunni insurgency remains 'potent and viable.'" Anthony Cordesman, Center for Strategic and International Studies, has some thoughts on the matter: "The Pentagon's previous quarterly reports 'were unrealistic in every dimension because they understated the insurgency, they grossly overstated economic progress, they were over-optimistic about political progress, and they never seriously addressed the threat of civil conflict,' Cordesman said. 'But this report has had to face reality.'" Speaking of reality, George H. W. Bush (08.31.06):

"This cruelty and carnage has led some to question whether Iraq has descended into civil war. Our commanders and our diplomats on the ground in Iraq believe that it's not the case." Bush Speaks at American Legion Convention

Civil war? Hell no!. There's all sorts of other names for it.