My new rule for understanding Iraq

There's an old camping rule: Gather as much firewood as you
think you will need that night, and then double it, because that's how much you
will really need.

I suspect the same rule applies to Iraq
in terms of how long it takes for political developments to occur: In Iraq, everything -- good or bad -- takes at
least twice as long as you expect, and even longer than you feared. (This
thought inspired by watching Kirkuk
and Mosul
lately. Fallujah,
too.)

As for shelling the Green Zone, which happened the
other day -- well, that seems almost nostalgic to me.