State of Emergency in Baghdad

The occupation of Iraq is not improving by any commonly understood definition of that word:

Two U.S. soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle southeast of the capital, the U.S. military said.

The military also said two U.S. Marines died in combat in volatile Anbar province in separate attacks on Wednesday and Thursday, and a soldier died elsewhere in a non-combat incident on Wednesday.

At least 2,517 members of the U.S. military have died since the
Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

A car bomb ripped through a market and nearby gas station in the increasingly violent southern city of Basra, killing at least five people and wounding 18, including two policemen, police said.

A bomb also struck a Sunni mosque in Hibhib, northeast of Baghdad, killing 10 worshippers and wounding 15 in the town where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was slain this month, police said. The area is the scene of frequent sectarian violence and there was no apparent connection to al-Zarqawi's killing.

At least 19 other deaths were reported in Baghdad.

The occupation of Iraq must end. The Republicans have no plans to end the occupation. When we hear Bill Frist say that "withdrawal is not an option," we should assume he means it. When George W. Bush assures Americans that the occupation will continue at least through the end of his term as president, we should assume he means it.

So far, Democrats are the only ones to have put forward a plan to end the occupation of Iraq. We must give them control of congress in November so that they can begin putting the plan into action.

The occupation of Iraq must end.