reality-based educator

From Reuters:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's defense minister warned of the risk of an endless "civil war" as sectarian violence flared again on Saturday, killing over 40, as Sunni and Shi'ite leaders made joint pleas for a halt to four days of bloodshed.

With the gravest crisis since the U.S. invasion threatening his plan to draw down 136,000 troops, U.S. President George W. Bush made a round of calls to Iraqi leaders on all sides urging them to work together to break a round of attacks sparked by the suspected al Qaeda bombing of a Shi'ite shrine on Wednesday.

Those leaders then met, joined by the U.S. ambassador. After three hours of talks, they appeared live on television to affirm their commitment to U.S.-sponsored efforts to forge a national unity government and call for an end to sectarian strife.

Earlier, as a traffic ban around the capital was extended to Monday following attacks on Sunni mosques and car bomb in a Shi'ite holy city, Defense Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi said: "If there is a civil war in this country it will never end.

"We are ready to fill the streets with armored vehicles."

BTW, the Iraqis have no tanks and few armored vehicles. So guess who's gonna provide the armored vehicles and tanks for this "endless civil war"?

You got it.

Unless we cut and run first, that is.

Oops...I mean stand down as the Iraqis stand up.