And More from Iraq

Hot on the heels of the Samarra story :

U.S. Eyes All-Out Offensive To Subdue Fallujah Rebels

The U.S. military is on a course to try to subdue terrorist-infested Fallujah by force before the first national election in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq in January, according to U.S. officials.

U.S.-Iraqi Raids Target Insurgents In Heart Of Baghdad

U.S. and Iraqi forces raided suspected insurgent hide-outs in the heart of the capital Wednesday, sparking clashes along a central Baghdad thoroughfare.

Hear the footsteps? I imagine the "insurgents" aren't sleeping well tonight.

And from that violence, this:

In this second school year since the United States deposed Saddam Hussein, Iraqi education officials have twice put off the start of classes, citing instability in the provinces.

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Despite the late start, education officials were optimistic about the new curriculum and changes that are moving through Iraqi schools, which, in the years that Mr. Hussein ruled Iraq, had delivered ever poorer education. A rigid system of control forced out teachers who were not members of Mr. Hussein's Baath Party. Students paid bribes to improve their grades. A course called National Education required students of all grades to memorize Baath Party achievements.

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The much-despised course of National Education is gone. In its place is a course that is a mix of civics and home economics, and teaches everything from electricity usage to respect for human rights and the opinions of others.

It was a welcome switch for Vian Said, a 16-year-old in Baghdad whose least favorite subject had been National Education. Her mother, Nifal Armagani, said she hoped computer and science courses would be added. Education had so deteriorated in the time of the Hussein government that on an average day, Ms. Armagani spent four hours tutoring her children after school.

The decline was due in part to the decline of the teachers themselves. The generation of teachers who began their careers under the Hussein government were given inadequate training that emphasized absolute loyalty to Mr. Hussein, and not depth of knowledge, explained Mr. Said, of the ministry.

"You can't depend on them to teach students," said Sardar Muhammad Said, another assistant to the curriculum director, who graduated from a teaching academy in the 1960's before the Baath Party established absolute control over the schools. "They were brainwashed. Most don't know their subjects."

So this summer teachers took refresher courses in how to teach and how to behave toward students. The training included lectures about students' rights and teachers' duties. Over the past several months, teachers from primary, secondary and high schools - in all about 326,000 - were scheduled for the training.

As for Vian Said, it was enough to be free of memorizing Baath Party accomplishments. She expressed her joy at being free of it by chiming into a mocking chorus when her sister and cousins chanted the former morning school salute as they sat in the living room of their central Baghdad home: "Long live Saddam Hussein!" they shouted, through smiles.

John Kerry: "This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment."