...and tracking a war on about a dozen internet channels and other sources. Reminds me a lot of the original attack on Iraq, when the key was filtering out the rumors, the joyous doom knells from the media at every setback, and all those running around in circles screaming "we're all going to die!" Maybe nobody remembers back that far...it's been over a year.

Key points right now: Baathists, encouraged by a new tape by al Zarqawi, and a group of Iranian-supported Shiites, both a tiny minority of Sunnis and Shiites in general, have taken this opportunity to give violence another shot, since it has become obvious they aren't going to be winning any elections in a free Iraq.

The Baathist hotpoints are Fallujah and Ramadi, and I suspect this will spread in the Triangle. Sadr Shiites are concentrated in the South, where there are a lot of non-American coalition troops, and Sadr is going to have to be pried out of Najaf the hard way. There will be casualties on both sides. The Baathists are also being encouraged to go after the Shiites, if one believes the tape. And yes, civilians are also going to suffer. It's a war.