i always read the news about Iraq. and i came to read this story "blogging baghdad". as i read the news and the story, i feel so sad and pity all the good civilians of Iraq.... and right away, i said a prayer for people of iraq that violence, kidnapping, killing, bombing, will be stop.. how could those gunmen killed their muslim brothers, their fellow iraqis...

I wish I could take Bush to the streets and show him how scary and empty they are. I wish I could take Condi and the others there and thank them for the "democracy" they brought. Let's mourn Baghdad but at the same time, let's try to build our country by ourselves. Others proved they are not able or not willing to help.
Thank you guys for bringing this up letting the people see what the situation really is and how "new Iraq" changed our lives from worse to the worst.
BT

It is impossible to read the facts of this story and not be deeply saddened and disappointed. Life was supposed to improve. There has been such a high costs in dollars and lives. Yet there is no freedom when lawless and unrestrained factions can operated as described with no consequence. One hell exchanged for a new one. Thanks to the un-named journalist for sharing his/her story. Thanks to NBC for posting the piece. As much as I want the violence to end and US troops to return, it makes me question whether we should leave unfinshed and unsupported what we started.

Scholars warned that without Saddam's iron fist these three groups would turn on each other. Iraq was cobbled together from independant nations in an act of arrogance. If it were not for the OIL found mostly in one of those three original regions, I am sure the people would not mind returning to the nation structure they had before the West intervened.

If we do not learn from Iraq the lesson of minding our own business, we will never learn it. Woodrow Wilson would have found Bush a chip off the old block.

DO YOU WANT TO BELIEVE THE IRAQI HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP HAMOURABI. I WANT MORE INFORMATION FROM A BETTER SOURCE

My heart bleeds for the Iraqi citizens; I wish there was a way for each one to know that I love them and that I'm deeply grieved whenever I hear that violence has taken another innocent life.

The legacy of the young Iraqi teenage barber lives on; his patriotism and fearless opposition against evil will prevail.

WHEN WILL THE U.S. SAY ENOUGH? IT IS CLEAR THAT WE ARE NOW CONTRIBUTING TO AN ALREADY BAD SITUATION.HOW LONG WILL BUSH LET THIS GO ON, WHILE IRAQ AS WELL AS AMERICA ARE SUFFERING? HOW MUCH MONEY DOES HE MEAN TO MAKE FOR THE OIL COMPANIES?

We should have let Iraq be the way it was when Saddam was running the country, a controllled environment. Now that we shed blood for those who dont appreciate our effort, maybe we should think about bringing him back to power. Bush should have kept all the money to better protect our country, not spending our tax money on this unappreciated act.

It is very hard to help people who doesnt want help, even if they needed it. It is very clear that iraq needed help and US came to thier call, but unfortunately the country couldnt handle the consequence. Violence have become a way of life for the country and changing the ways might not come so easily. More Dollars, Aid and understanding is needed to help this country, the question is how far can US help? Or other countries for that matter.

I dont know exactly if bush did the right thing, but i hope he wont abandon this country until it could rise to its former stature. For now, lets all pray for peace and pray for the price of gasoline to go lower. AMEN!

It is very hard to help people who doesnt want help, even if they needed it. It is very clear that iraq needed help and US came to thier call, but unfortunately the country couldnt handle the consequence. Violence have become a way of life for the country and changing the ways might not come so easily. More Dollars, Aid and understanding is needed to help this country, the question is how far can US help? Or other countries for that matter.

I dont know exactly if bush did the right thing, but i hope he wont abandon this country until it could rise to its former stature. For now, lets all pray for peace and pray for the price of gasoline to go lower. AMEN!

I agree with Leigh Sellers comment. I pray for an end to this war. I pray for an end to terror. I pray for those I know personally who are fighting for liberty for those in harms way over in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. I want them all to come home, but I too question the wisdom in leaving what we started unfinished whether or not it is supported. Why are people so afraid to help their fellow man? Why is it our fight alone, this war on terror? Why has the world come to despise a Nation that has shown in so many ways its love for them? Why can't the world see that the US doesn't want their countries to be like ours but we do want them to be free to live as they will to live without fearing leaving their homes at night or in broad daylight. It is'nt about arrogance. It is about LIFE. All nations should be united in this fight. One day terror could visit them as well. Be assured that when it does we will be there to help. It is the right thing to do.

Having begun this conflict, the US with what Iraqi security forces exist, now needs to ensure that every car that moves is searched, that every building is searched, that no vehicle or person enters or leaves Bagdad or any other city or town with continuing violence, without being searched.If the cost of this type of security in money and manpower is too high, Americans should reallize that the carnage they see in Iraq is exactly what the worlds fanatical Muslems dream of visiting upon the people of the United States.These people must be stopped where ever we find them.They do want all Americans dead.Does anyone really doubt that? The outcome in Iraq is vital to all Americans and despite all the calls to " bring our troops home!" whats needed are many more troups to bring security to Iraq. Rumsfields notion, apparently backed by our military commanders, of a small highly mobile armed force force, worked great in the first Gulf war and when opposing Sadams military, but now is obviously ineffective for civilian security purposes.When the same action repeatedly yeilds the same undesirable result,only a fool continues repeating the same thing hoping for a different outcome. Its time to change the approach to Iraq's security. If the US doesn't make the necessary comittment Iran will be happy to install another fanatical Muslem regime or simply annex the country. The US has a decision to make.

This is terrible. No wonder the world hates Americans. Bush is destroying America from the inside: his oil friends' unmitigated and unregulated pay-off has quite effectively destroyed the economy --and the outside: his warmongering is affecting the entire globe. To whose advantage? Who needs terrorists -- Bush is quite capable of destroying us and taking the rest of the world too. Why do we sit idly by and do nothing? Have we forgotten America is "by the people for the people"? Do we have no remaining values? Is America home of the free and the brave, or have we degenerated into something much less? Was it Lincoln who warned us that America would never be destroyed from the outside, only from the inside? And, what country can we send our children to march against next? Bush is fixing on a few.
Dian Larkin, Chappaqua, New York

i pray for the civilians of Iraq and i also pray for our
troops and the families that this has affected. We all need to come together as brothers and sisters and pray that God will intervene. He is the only one that has the power to do the impossible. All of what happen with the twin towers and in Iraq is terrible. My prayers are with everyone. May God bless us all!!!!!!

The price of freedom is never free. And while what is going on in Iraq is tragic, let us not give in to those who would keep our brothers and sisters in the Middle East in darkness and despair. We must support efforts to bring opportunity to a part of the world that needs it deparately.

Iraq will take time, longer than first calculated. The factions that are murdering, threatening, and violently destroying theirs and other communities are fighting for a piece of the pie, not for any other reason. Since there is so much chaos, distrust, and fear among the population it is the choice or optimum time to attack. Divide and conquer. Read your history, this has been going on since time began. The United States bit off more than they could chew, but one thing is true - the U.S. has a big mouth so we will get this bite down and will determinely conclude our mission in this forsaken land. I find it so difficult to understand the entire concept of an Islam of hate, murder, suicide bombers, beheadings, all the madness when Mohammed was a man of peace, love, acceptance, and toleration for all peoples. This is the cradle of civilization, what an opportunity for them to prove their worth to the world society by actually being a cradle of civilization and rebuilding their world, faith, and honor. I doubt they will ever understand such a concept.

It makes me question why we're there. I thought we were helping the Iraqii people by taking a horrible man out of power, but this is ridiculous. More and more Irqiis are killed everyday. Not to mention that our soldiers are being put in harms way and taken away from their families, and not usually for their "one year active duty service in Iraq". They get stuck there longer and longer as time goes by and situations worsen. If we are giving the Iraiis democracy, let them decide whether or not we stay there. Maybe some of the terror that is inflicted upon them daily will lessen.

The 172nd Stryker Bridage Combat Team out of Alaska, after having served 1 year in Mosul, losing 19 soldiers, with over 300 injured, and while packing to go home, is instead being diverted to Baghdad. The American government (Bush and Rumsfeld) felt it necessary to betray the committment made to the brave soldiers of the 172nd SBCT that they would serve one year in Iraq and then go home. At the twelth hour, and with the stroke of a pen, a cruel and sadistic act was perpetuated upon our brave soldiers. This is an indication of just how overstretched our military, especially the Army and Marines are and how bad a state Iraq is in.

This war has destroyed Baghdad and it threatens to destroy the U.S. Army and Marines as well!

May God please deliver us from this mess that the American military and the Iraqi people find themselves in with no apparent way out.

And to the Iraqi people: the Bush administration didn't keep their committment to the 172nd Stryker Bridage Combat Team, don't expect them to keep their committment to you. If you want your country to survive, you and only you can make it happen.

when will the people of Iraq get fed up with there family and friends being killed, and kick the terrorist out of there country, so that they can control there own future? there will be no peace until they quit killing themselves over religion.

I think the question that has to be asked, is "what can we do now?" Obviously, our short-sighted, or non-existant, existing plan isn't working at all. Even those of us who never supported the war, opposed it because of the tragic loss of life involved. Unfortunately, it has far exceeded our worst nightmares. Can the citizens (or former citizens) of Baghdad make any suggestions?

was the brutal inhumane regime of Saddam worse than the car bombs,kidnappings,killings,suicide bombers and lawlessness?.........think about it!

If there is one lesson to be learned from the Iraq debacle it is this: When you cast your next vote for President of the U.S.A. ask yourself, do you really want a man in the office of president who prides himself in not liking to read, was a borderline drunk most of his formative years, was trained for combat duty and yet found a way to avoid combat by hiding out on an Alabama reserve base, found comfort with being in bed with people who slandered the character of a true American, John McCain, has a working vocabuary of an eighth grader, and for all practical purposes was a failure in every business enterprise he ever undertook?

In light of recent developments, we have been troubled with the phrase "the War on Terror", coined so effectively by the current administration. It seems to us this is nothing more than a colloquialism for national security, a concept not lost on any administration. The need to interject the word "terror" seems insulting, and an obvious scare tactic to continue the machine moving forward, despite continuous blunders.
The United States, Israel, and every other country in the world for that matter, should continue to concentrate of the basic concept of security. This can not be achieved by constant misguided rage at the wrong targets. In other words, to preserve security for a country, it is utterly crucial for that country to recognize what the threat is before launching into destruction mode, using all capable intelligence information along with some common sense and a little appreciation of human life. In our opinion, the last of such a balance was shown in 2001 by the current administration, when the United States systematically eliminated those responsible for harboring and aiding a group that attacked us. Unfortunately, this balance and planning was short-lived, and we lost our way as we occupied Iraq. We can only hope that Israel doesn’t make the same mistake (though it could be argued they already have) as they try their hand at preserving national security, or as we call it in the United States, “fighting the War on Terror.”

Am I the only one who worries about Iran and Syria mobilizing as a result of the Lebanon/Israel conflict and then with Iran marching west and Syria marching east, meeting in the middle and catching the US in a classic hammer and anvil manuever. Already tasked too the max, the US forces would be fighting a two front war. It keeps me up at night.

Iraq was cobbled together from independent nations??? what nations ae you talking about? Baghdad was head of iraqi province capital of the Arabic empire at the height of its power. After it fell apart, the slow and retarded ottoman turkish empire took advantage and control to rule for about a 100 years untill they were driven away at the end of second world war by the english colonialists who chose to separate the quwait provinnce and make it an (independent)state less than half a century ago.

Do you really need to cut it to more bleeding pieces?