Pirate's Cove

The libs at the New York Times are positively giddy of over the latest bombing in Iraq. Headline, page A1, top right:

Market Bomb Ends Lull for Baghdad

Tells the story, eh?

Last Friday, the Ghazil animal market was a crowded bazaar in a city willing itself into recovery. Cautious but hopeful parents led fun-starved children by the hand to show them parakeets, tropical fish and twittering chicks painted in bright, improbable hues.

As Baghdad’s relative lull in violence had extended from weeks into months, Sunnis and Shiites alike made the calculation — one shared by this reporter — that the Ghazil market was safe enough to risk walking around on a sunny Friday.

It was. But one week later, the market in the shadow of the Mosque of the Caliphs was a scene of carnage, a cruel reminder that the decline in violence in this city is relative and may not last.

Fish tanks lay where they had exploded into the faces peering into them, twisted bird cages were hurled across the street, and human and animal blood was being hosed off the streets by well-practiced firefighters.

Oh, God, The Surge has failed! Pull all the troops out of this illegal occupation now! We need to redeploy from this war that George Bush lied us in to in order to steal their oil and get revenge for Pappy Bush now! Cause it is all gloom and doom now

The American military said such indiscriminate strikes only strengthened Iraqis’ will. “Attacks like this, against innocent Iraqi citizens, are one of the greatest reasons we see the populace making a stand against criminal elements,” said Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, a military spokesman.

Certainly many animal sellers were back plying their trade to willing customers even as the remains of their colleagues and friends were being hosed away.

Yet the mood had changed. Dogs were snarling, and the Iraqi police were jittery.

Yup, The Surge has failed (insert liberal giggling here).

Certainly, the bombing is not a good thing. But, the violence fomented by quite a few foreign fighters was not just going to stop. Even when we are able to pull most of our troops out of Iraq, as the police and military are trained and fully ready to take over security, these kinds of actions will probably still occur. Muslim extremists will not want a democracy in Iraq, nor freedom for the Iraqi people.

While that was on the front page, this certainly wasn’t. Don’t want to upset the Iranians or anything, ya know

The U.S. military on Saturday blamed the deadly bombing of a pet market in Baghdad on Iranian-backed Shiite militants, raising concerns that Shiite extremist activity could escalate and jeopardize waning violence in Iraq.

The bomb that was hidden in a box of small birds exploded Friday morning as Iraqis were strolling past animal stalls and bird cages at Baghdad’s al-Ghazl market. The market had recently re-emerged as a popular venue as security has increased, raising hopes for calm in the capital after years of turmoil.

Wait, that would be the same market from the first story, wouldn’t it? I wonder why the Times did not mention this in the first story?

”In raids overnight, Iraqi and coalition forces were able to identify and detain four members of a militia extremist group we assess as responsible for this horrific act of indiscriminate violence,” (U.S. spokesman Rear Adm. Gregory) Smith said. ”Based on subsequent confessions, forensics and other intelligence, the bombing was the work of an Iranian-backed special groups cell operating here in Baghdad.”

”I’m not saying that yesterday Iran ordered the bombing of the pet market,” Smith said. But, he said, the attack had the ”fingerprints” of a group that had been trained, equipped and facilitated through Iranian connections.

Sssssh. Do not say it too loud. Those nice Iranians, who say things liberals agree with like “destroy Israel,” “Bush is evil,” and “Iraq is lost,” might get upset.

DJ Elliot writes that the real surge is behind the scenes

While the “surge” of five US brigades plus their accompanying support elements, about 30,000 US troops total, is the main focus of commentators when discussing the current situation in Iraq, the real surge in Iraq is happening behind the scenes. The rapidly expanding Iraqi Army is where the real surge in forces is occurring.

Read the rest.