Acceptable Violence

I was just listening to a briefing for reporters at the Pentagon by General Petraeus, the top general in Iraq, and he addressed this notion of an acceptable level of violence in Iraq.

By this they mean that life could get back to normal, shops open, kids playing, yet these specatular car bombs may continue.

I understand that every society accepts some violence. There are hundreds of murders in most big cities in the U.S. Yet I can still walk the steeets and feel safe, as President Bush noted the other night. Compare an American city violence to Baghdad. Is he serious? Did he say that?

So that is where we are at now in Iraq. One of the standards supporters of the war will cite now is, well the amusement parks are open and some guy is watering his soccer field despite the suicide car bomb that killed 180 people on the other side of town.

How many car bombs is peace? How many car bombs is acceptable?

So the plan for safety and security in Iraq makes room for a few car bombs here and there.

Could you imagine if the President told us that a couple Oklahoma City bombings once in a while isnt so bad. The Mall of America is still open, after all.

Does anyone listen to what these people actually say?

Poor Sancho