Preparing to Dance

Don't miss this brief and worthy read.

There are many reasons to pray for our Marines in Fallujah.

Much noise continues to be made by those whose fondest desire is for Iraq to be "another Vietnam". It's not, but that comparison grows more apt if the Marines are used as pawns in a diplomatic game - shooting gallery targets in a literal "Arab street" so as not to offend the residents of the figurative one we've heard so much of this past year.

The one that was going to go off like a powder keg if America invaded Iraq.

Meanwhile, to the south, the Arab street may actually be on the rise:

In another development the Americans were watching, reports from inside Najaf said the growing anger of residents there against Mr. Sadr and his men, who have sown a pattern of lawlessness since their uprising in the city began this month, had taken a startling new turn, with a shadowy group killing at least five militiamen on Sunday and Monday.

Those reports, from residents who reached relatives in Baghdad by telephone, said the killers called themselves the Thulfiqar Army, after a two-bladed sword that Shiite tradition says was used by the patron saint of Shia, Imam Ali, the martyred son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. The group distributed leaflets in Najaf threatening to kill members of Mr. Sadr's Mahdi Army unless they fled Najaf immediately, according to accounts.

One Najaf resident said some of Mr. Sadr's militiamen were shedding the black clothing that has been their signature. The same resident said that he knew of two killings of Mahdi Army members on Sunday and that three others had been killed later on Sunday or Monday.

The above account from the NY Times was sandwiched between reports of gloom from Fallujah and Baghdad, all beneath a headline proclaiming that "Fierce Battles in Najaf and Falluja Dim Hopes for Accord"

Hey, while you sit at your computer trembling in fear of the Arab street, see if you can see the difference in these two photos from Fallujah:

Did you say missing sniper platform?

You're right.