I remember driving through Baghdad in April of 2003 and the long gas lines. Now, Nov 2006, they are even worse off than before. Thank you Mr. Bush, you really are doing a great job! SIKE!

I agree with so many of the oppinions posted.so much is left out in the U.S.Media that reaches the average American household. The Good parts that Troops are playing for the Iraqi peoples. Having a Son there, and ready to complete his first tour, I can only pray for his safe return back here. if Powell was younger, I'd have him for Pres. anyday, and Rice for Vice.Rice should run herself right now as she's made to go see what's going on herself...I'm voting Dem. this year. maybe if Bush's Daughter's were on the front lines, he might think differently.... if Not.. maybe Cindy Sheehan will sub-divide and sell me an acre of her land in rememberance of my son...

I can only pray that the american public becomes sick and tired of our young people being killed needlessly and send a clear and unmistakable message to the powers that are currently in power. As the father I constantly worry about an executive order involuntarily calling up my son to fight in Iraq. I am constantly astounded how Bush can say Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 (see press conference earlier this week) and denying anyone in his administration ever made a link to this point. And the news outlets show a point by point rebuttal with clips of almost every member of the cabinet making the exact point he denies. I pray that we all wake up and see this for what it is, incompetence bordering on criminal. We need to addup the 2600+ from Iraq with the number who died in New Orleans and get a real view of the cost of these failed policies. I see they even have 6$ a gallon gas in Iraq. Good job in anticipating reality guys. If anyone thinks I am too harsh let me know and I will be glad to go over why I am with anyone including the president. Maybe one of his staff can bring this to his attention like they had to bring the horror of Katrina last year. If almost anyone else in america was such a prima facia case of incompetentence we would be charged with a crime.

Putting all the Bush bashing and disengenuous feelings for Iraq aside I believe the original subject is "the conditions in Iraq" and "what to do about them". Please, does anyone have any ideas how best to solve this situation? Having our Military pull out at this point certianly is not one, and should not be included as part of a broader solution. Especially, given the current climate with IRAN. No, our Military is just where it belongs at the moment. Now, what about other solutions. First, we need to identify the problems. From the article above it would appear that the root causes are inflation, corruption, terrorist attacks, and poor Iraqi Government Policy. Did I miss any. Although the article did not suggest this, I believe part of the problem has to do with an economic culture that was stagnent in the first place. The reason for this being that there was no incentive to prosper economically under Saddam. There needs to be a pradigm shift from a economic structure under a dictatorship to one under a democracy. How is this done? I don't have the answer to these questions but these are the problems that need to be solved. We in this Country, while working with the Iraqis, need to address them. Please!

most of the comments on where are the wmds,just ask the kurds where they are and what was used on them. every one blames bush for the radical islams who is to blame when they attached the world trade center in 1992 andthe us cole as well as the embassys. do we blame the honorable william clinton.who did nothing but appease.most of the people commenting probable feel like appeasement is the only solutin, the arabs feel this way too as long as you become a musslim and walk to there beat.they will only stop when the israel state is gone and the west is no longer other than a musslim state. thank god for george bush during these times when people think only of themselves. im glad this was not the mind set when we lost so many young men to defend our way of life during the 2nd world war or we would all be doing the goose step.

Theirs a video of a recent 2 mile line at a fuel station in Baghdad here on this Iraqi blog: http://healingiraq.blogspot.com

Payback's a b1tch!

Remember 9/11 that's all I can say. You like killing innocent New Yorkers with state sponsored terrorism, you have to face the consequences.

So you have no petrol? Ride a bicycle!!

The Republicans of this country listen only to the right wing media. Being from Ohio I agree with Phyl Sites. Its like they,ve been brain washed to hate democrats so much that Bush can do no wrong. Lie us into war,rape the middle class, there are apparently no limits. WAKE UP AMERICA this is not how you fight terror and win. P.S Why are the rich not ask to make sacrifices.

There is nothing to solve. Had Saddam been toppled by an internal revolution, the same circumstances would have come to pass. Remove the troops, support the Iraqi gov't forces with weapons and training like we did with Israel.

I agree it's easy to say "screw it" because the whole idea of invading Iraq and setting up a new gov't was so ludicrous. I would say, perhaps carving up Iraq into three separate nations, with provisions so that all three nations get access to the rich oil reserves. It doesn't seem like these groups with a thousand years of animosity behind them are going to embrace the ideas we have tried to sell to them.

I'm afraid there is simply no reasoning with religious beliefs, no matter how silly they seem from a distance.

Republican Political Strategy Playbook...
Plan A: Intensify efforts to Make other Middle Eastern countries look like a threat to the US, so as to get Iraq off the Front pages of the US newspapers. If this means bombing Iran or Syria or North Korea....so be it. The Hawks will love it....It's all for National Security isn't it?......

you can never force democracy with the barrell of a gun.no doubt we've made a colussal mess in Iraq.can't win, can't get out.no cheap oil ,no dancing in the streets at least not until were gone.soon the mission will be declared accomplished again and we'll be left shaking our heads.

There are so many issues with the fuel situation. For decades, the Iraqis purchased pipes and valves of different sizes. So, then the pipeline is attacked, as it often is, it takes huge efforts just to find replacement parts. Over the years, they have compromised by not replacing valves - instead, they just replace a damaged valve with more pipe. Result is that when a particular pipeline is damaged, the lack of valves means many more lengths of oil must drain out before they can cut off the flow.

Not to mention that every sheepherder who is upset about the price of oil will shoot at the pipeline. Not to mention that the shortage of fuel drives the black market, which in turn drives the high price of fuel. A vicious cycle.

Not to mention that it is physically impossible to guard miles and miles of pipeline. Not to mention that the security force guarding the pipeline infrastructure is sometimes in cahoots with the bad guys.

I've been there, done that, too. We ought to simply admit we have screwed up and work to do better.

Iraq will become whatever Iraq will become. Our presence may delay that reality but it will not change it.

Well said Jeff, Yorktown I belive you just put it in a nutshell!

Sometimes, we have to wait for fuel and groceries too.

get over it.