Oh shit...

"Blasts Rip Iraq Police Stations, Kill 55"

The article was posted 9 minutes ago, so it looks like this just happened. [Or I could be kinda late; happened tuesday night our time. Article was probably updated 9 minutes ago when I saw it.] We're going to be hearing a lot about this today, no doubt. 55 people, holy fuck. [Now it's at 68.] This is bad.

And not to use 55 fresh deaths as a mantle to rant about Bush, but this was a series of explosions at Iraqi police stations in Basra. If we can't stabilize an Iraqi police force, how can we expect to hand over the government to Iraqis in a couple of months? Like I said, not to bash Bush, but this is a serious question.

[Update...] This article contains items about about the latest bombings that's also worth mentioning. First up: Chalabi:

On Tuesday, a senior member of Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress was appointed to head the all-Iraqi tribunal — a potentially controversial choice.

Chalabi, a longtime exile who returned to Iraq and was named to the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, is mistrusted as an outsider by many Iraqis who want to see Saddam prosecuted by Iraqis who were present under his brutal rule.

Why anybody in the Bush administration still supports this man is beyond me. He's a convicted criminal in Jordan, he couldn't produce evidence to back his claims against Saddam (that's called lying to us, folks), and Iraqis hate him. So let's just give him more power! That will make the Iraqis love us! God.

Secondly, Fallujah:

Also Wednesday, about 35 Iraqi insurgents attacked U.S. Marines in the besieged city of Fallujah with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms, setting off a heavy gunbattle, the military said. No casualties were immediately reported.

Iraqi security forces, some wearing flak jackets and carrying weapons, moved back into Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad, on Tuesday, part of an agreement between U.S. officials and local leaders aimed at ending hostilities. The accord calls on insurgents to hand in weapons and allows civilians to return.

U.S. officials have warned that if guerrillas do not surrender their weapons, Marines are prepared to storm the city — likely sparking a new round of bloody fighting.

Keep in mind this is the American press reporting. One wonders if our military did anything before being fired upon and getting into this fire fight. I guess we'll have to wait for Naomi Klein's next dispatch.

Third, Iraqi deaths:

At least 1,100 Iraqis have been killed in fighting since the start of the month, according to an Associated Press count based on reports from hospitals and Iraqi and U.S. officials.

Something else to keep in mind along with 100 troops dead this month.