ILLUSION AND REALITY

This Saturday, May 1, sees the first anniversary of President Bush’s declaration that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended.” How much more destructive of life and limb does the fighting in Falluja (where at least 600 people died as a result of recent fighting) and Kura near Najaf (where 64 Shia Muslim militiamen were killed on Monday night alone) have to be before the media are prepared to state that major combat operations in Iraq have now resumed?

The U.S. government has promised that in just over two months’ time it will hand over sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, April 27, in an interview with Reuters news agency, Secretary of State Colin Powell said that while the new government would take full sovereignty over the country, it would have to give some of it back to the Americans so that the US would still be in command of its own troops."I hope they will understand that in order for this government to get up and running - to be effective - some of its sovereignty will have to be given back, if I can put it that way, or limited by them," Mr. Powell said."It's sovereignty but [some] of that sovereignty they are going to allow us to exercise on their behalf and with their permission." Yeah, right.

And for how long will U.S. forces remain in Iraq? Do any readers seriously think they will all have left by 2010 or even 2014?