The Bombing of Iraq’s Parliament

Today’s suicide attack on Iraq’s parliament, apparently carried out by al Qaeda, killed at least eight people and achieved the terrorists’ propaganda objective. The BBC reports here. Al Qaeda no doubt knows that the patience of most Americans has just about run out, so it has every incentive to carry out symbolic attacks like today’s. It worked; Secretary of State Rice had to deny that the attack shows that the “surge” is failing, and many other news outlets will no doubt echo the BBC’s statement that “[t]he two attacks [a bridge was also bombed today] are major blows to the much-trumpeted Baghdad security surge now in its third month….”
Coincidentally, an Arab television network was filming an interview with a member of parliament at the moment the bomb went off. This striking footage was the result:

UPDATE: The Associated Press headlines, “Bombings raise questions about ‘surge'”.
FURTHER UPDATE: Harry Reid wastes no time putting the bombing to political use:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said the bombing was further evidence that the war was going badly and U.S. troops should come home.

It’s hard to win a war when half your elected officials and most of your mass media are pulling for you to lose.
ONE MORE: Richard Miniter was at the Parliament building, within a matter of feet from the bomber when the explosion occurred. His first-hand account is here.
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