It was a year ago that Freder_Frederson predicted his doom-and-gloom scenario for Iraq. A few days later, I called him on it.

If you want to check out a few updates that were posted along the way you can find them here (8/26/05), here (7/27/06), here (7/28/06), here (8/7/06), and here (8/9/06).

So what exactly is the situation in Iraq today?

Well, as of the moment I'm typing this post, It's 109F in Baghdad (feels like 113) with fair skies and 8mph winds out of the northwest. Pretty hot, but for that area, I guess it would be considered a pretty nice day.

CENTCOM's site is quiet with regard to "civil war", but things are far from perfect. Still, it's statistically safer to walk the streets of Baghdad than it is to walk the streets of our own nation's capital. Reports from ArmyBryan are still forthcoming. In a recent email correspondence, Omar at Iraq the Model had this to say with regard to whether or not the situation there is, in fact, a civil war:

I will call it a foreign intervention from regional powers aiming at sparking a huge civil war.

We're not there yet but we will if those foreign hands are not chopped and taken off Iraq asap.

Omar.
www.iraqthemodel.blogspot.com

In other words, no civil war (as of ten days ago). I doubt much has changed since then. Furthermore, a post just this past Tuesday by Omar suggests that the political factions in Iraq seem to be working together in at least some spirit of mutual respect. Check this out:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The head of the main Sunni bloc in parliament called Tuesday for the Sunni speaker of parliament to step down to help the stability of the unity government after Shiite and Kurdish parties insisted on his removal.(quoted from Yahoo/AP by Omar)

So the Sunni leadership called for its own speaker's resignation. Why? Because the Shi'ites and Kurds wanted it. That's not at all indicative of a civil war, my friends. In fact, it's more cooperation among parties than we get in Washington!

Am I saying that civil war cannot break out in Iraq? Am I saying it can't happen in the near future? No and no. It is clear that the Iraqis have a lot of work to do in bringing themselves together in the proper spirit of freedom. They have a lot to learn about being free. After all, many of them have never tasted freedom before.

Still, anyone who had any faith at all in the Iraqis would have known that they are basically good people. Good people don't just rush to war with each other, especially when they have 30 years of being oppressed by a ruthless animal in common. Maybe the problem with our liberal friends is that they have had too little faith in the Iraqi people and too much faith in Saddam. Something to think about. Anyway ...

It may not even be the end of the world if a civil war does break out. The natural yearning of the human spirit is to be free. Therefore, freedom always wins in the end. Having to win a war against the terrorists and their supporters will bring a greater appreciation of freedom to those who will have won it.

Make no mistake about it, the situation in Iraq is not all rosy and sweet, but to call the situation a "civil war" when CENTCOM doesn't, US Intelligence officers don't, and people living in Baghdad don't is stupid.

From Omar's email, it's pretty easy to see what's going on in Iraq today. FOREIGN terrorists, sponsored by terrorist nations, have entered the country and committed acts of terrorism in an effort to (1.) confront American presence for the purpose of attempting to stop American efforts to bring freedom to Iraq and (2.) turn Iraqis against one another for the purpose of getting them to blame one another for the terrorists' deeds and bring about that civil war that Freder so desperately wants.

Their ultimate goal is the same as for all of their activities - get Iraqis (and the rest of the world) to live under their oppressive Islamofascist worldview, by force, if necessary, and kill anyone who refuses or resists.

I should have insisted on that steak dinner. Oh well. Ruth's Chris is probably a little pricy for Freder anyway.

Expect an update when I hear from Bryan.

RWR

Update: Audio updated today as well.