There are separate fights with Sunnis and Shiites, the Kurds are raising hell with the Turks in the north, and airplanes bombing are not quite "precision" instruments, but rather destroy quite a bit around them, even if they have a legitimate and well-defined target.

For every "feelgood" dispatch, identical copies of some of which were sent to newspapers in different names, there are 10 stories of innocent people killed. Some by terrorist bombs, some by US forces.

The US only controls parts of Baghdad, cannot guarantee safety on the highways, and there are large areas of the country which are "rebel" controlled.

Bodes ill. At least it does to me.

THE WORLD U.S. Targets 3 Iraqi Cities
By Patrick J. McDonnell
The moves against Samarra and other insurgent strongholds are an attempt to bolster civilian control before elections in January.

U.S. Conceding Rebels Control Regions of Iraq By ERIC SCHMITT and STEVEN R. WEISMAN
Published: September 8, 2004

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 - As American military deaths in Iraq operations surpassed the 1,000 mark, top Pentagon officials said Tuesday that insurgents controlled important parts of central Iraq and that it was unclear when American and Iraqi forces would be able to secure those areas.