No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

 

Two Views of Iraq

This is two different views of what is happening in Iraq.

Washington Post April 11, 2004

President Bush, after Easter prayers for the safety of U.S. troops, acknowledged Sunday that it has been a "tough week" in Iraq and said it is difficult to know when the violence will subside.

Bush, on a trip from his ranch here to nearby Fort Hood, said he is praying daily for fewer casualties in Iraq, where nearly 50 Americans have been killed in an uprising over the past week. But Bush said he sees no need for more troops and characterized the violence in Iraq as the work of "a few people" and "violent gangs."

Washington Post - Politics

When the U.S. troops entered the abandoned factory shed Sunday, they found a hastily abandoned campsite full of jumbled clothing and bedrolls, scattered sneakers and gym bags, broken eggs and dirty cooking pots.

"This was a 16-man terrorist cell," pronounced a Marine captain, rifling through the mess. "See? All the bags and sneakers are brand new, all the same make. This took money and planning. Someone sponsored them."

The evidence -- Islamic books, pamphlets, tapes and farewell letters in Arabic -- suggested that some of the men were not Iraqis from the area, but foreign Sunni Muslims who had traveled to this urban Sunni stronghold to fight and die in a holy war, both against the U.S. forces and the country's Shiite Muslim majority.


My questions:

1. What evidence will Bush accept that outside Arabs/Muslim extremists are directing attacks in Iraq?

2. How many more America deaths will it take to convince Bush that more troops are needed?
posted by Richard at 4:33 AM