reality-based educator

Senator John McCain just told John Roberts on CNN that media people are "living in a time warp" and reporting the Iraq war story "like it's three months ago." McCain says the preznut's surge policy is working, Baghdad is safer than before the surge, Iraq is safer than before the surge and we are on the way toward making Iraq into a stable, safe place.

Here's the news from Iraq today. First, from the Associated Press:

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Shiite militants and police enraged by massive truck bombings in the northwestern town of Tal Afar went on a revenge spree against Sunni residents there Wednesday, killing as many as 60 people, officials said.

The gunmen began roaming Sunni neighborhoods in the city, shooting at residents and homes, according to police and a local Sunni politician.

Ali al-Talafari, a Sunni member of the local Turkomen Front Party, said the Iraqi army had arrested 18 policemen accused of being involved after they were identified by the Sunni families targeted. But he said the attackers included Shiite militiamen.

...

The violence came a day after two truck bombs shattered markets in the city, killing at least 63 people and wounding dozens in the second assault in four days. After Tuesday's bombings, suspected Sunni insurgents tried to ambush ambulances carrying the injured out of the northwestern city but were driven off by police gunfire, Iraqi authorities said.

The carnage was the worst bloodshed in a surge of violence across Iraq as militants on both sides of the sectarian divide apparently have fled to other parts of the country to avoid a U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown, raising tensions outside the capital.

Now from Xinhua:

FALLUJAH, Iraq, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Two suicide car bombs, including a truck carrying Chlorine toxic gas, struck a U.S. base in Fallujah City, 50 km west of Baghdad, on Wednesday, killing eight Iraqi policemen and wounding more than 20 others, local police said.

A suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden car into the checkpoint on the main gate of a U.S. military base in central city and blew it up at about 9:00 a.m. (0600 GMT), the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Few minutes later, another suicide bomber drove a booby-trapped truck carrying Chlorine gas into the same entrance to the base and blew it up, causing a powerful explosion and sending a cloud of toxic gas, the source said.

A total of eight policemen were killed at the checkpoint and at least 20 others were wounded, he said, adding that there was undetermined number of U.S. soldiers killed or wounded but he couldn't give exact number.

Gee, it doesn't sound like Iraq is either safe nor stable. Rather, it sounds like violence has decreased in Baghdad and increased elsewhere in the country.

McCain is either a fool to think that Iraq is going better now that it was three months ago or he's a liar trying to fool the American people into believing something that is not true.

Either way, he's wrong.