Attack Shows the Limits of U.S. Control

By Peter Slevin and Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, August 20, 2003; Page A01

President Bush declared yesterday that "the civilized world will not be intimidated" by the bombers who destroyed the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. He said the U.S. administration will persevere in Iraq even as the difficulties in securing the country appeared greater than ever.

Asserting that Iraq is on an "irreversible course" toward peace, Bush denounced the attackers as terrorists who "have again shown their contempt for the innocent. They showed their fear of progress and their hatred of peace." They will not, he said, determine Iraq's future.

Yet the deadly attack, which killed at least 17 people, including chief U.N. representative Sergio Vieira de Mello, illustrated the limits of U.S. control over Iraq at a moment when U.S. forces are increasingly threatened and the administration has no quick way to deliver safety to diplomats, foreign workers or Iraqis.

In the case of Iraq, the bombing raised questions about whether the 139,000 U.S. troops are sufficient to secure the country. While U.S. commanders have insisted they have the numbers they need, some defense experts have said the forces are spread too thinly and are too heavily American.

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