"leave the Iraq people to settle their own affairs"

unless, of course they decide to elect another dictator who insists on one-party rule, or an ultra-religious government intent on 'Islamifying' the country and blowing up Ziggurats etc that is...whither democracy then?

This is from Reuters:

"Lieutenant Colonel Eric Nantz, speaking at the school, said his men had been on the lookout for trouble from diehard Saddam supporters as Monday was the vanished dictator's 66th birthday.


What Nantz described as "celebratory firing" accompanied a crowd which was first dispersed from outside a U.S. base in the centre of town by an American show of force. When the crowd reformed at the school, however, shots were aimed at the troops.


"There were a lot of people who were armed and who were throwing rocks. How is a U.S. soldier to tell the difference between a rock and a grenade?" Nantz said.

- doesn't one go bang? -

arguing about whoever shot the first round is really irrelevant - a return to playground politics "well he started it" - it would seem that the American troops were disproportionate in their response in an already volotile region.

The sooner they're withdrawn, and some semblance of order is established the better for all involved. Failing that I can only foresee more incidents like this.

Steve