Iraq, the unraveling (XIX): Friends like these

Over the weekend an Iraqi commander tried to detain U.S. troops after they chased into a neighborhood some people who shot at their convoy, The Washington Post reported. They reportedly killed three Iraqis and wounded another four in doing so. Prime Minister Maliki says the Iraq commander was “out of line.” But then Saturday is probably one of his days to be nice to the evil American occupiers who protect him.

Maliki also is shocked — shocked — that the U.S. government talked secretly to insurgent leaders. Everyone, don’t tell the prime minister about the Sons of Iraq program, either!

Also, more bad news in al Anbar — a big bomb went off in Fallujah, as well as a smaller one near the headquarters of the Iraqi Islamic Party, and one at a funeral between Ramadi and Fallujah. And a bunch of police were shot up in Abu Ghraib. Is the Anbar Sawha going off the reservation? I still don’t understand what is happening out there, and have been surprised by the lack of news coverage of it. It makes me wonder if in budget cutbacks, news bureaus let go their stringers in Anbar. If so, what a sad turn for the news business. Suppose they gave a war and nobody covered it.

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images