It comes as a surprise to no one that after decades of internal and international conflict, Iraq is littered with land mines and bombs.

Lack of uncertainty around the Iraq conflict caused bond market yields to reverse their downward spiral of recent weeks and mortgage rates followed in tandem. But there are other uncertainties about the length of the conflict and its impact on the economy that will influence mortgage rates in the weeks to come, so this rise in rates may be only temporary.

The Iraq conflict, while not a cause of extremism, has become a cause for extremists.

Iraq is on the brink of civil war. This war must be stopped before it degenerates into a conflict of civilizations.

I think it's awful that because of a personal conflict, Mr. Spinks thinks it's necessary to do something that may have the effect of disrupting the whole festival and the whole county loses.

These days, I no longer believe there ever are truly good guys or bad guys in war, at least in the Middle East. They’re generally shades of gray. But that doesn’t translate well on television. It was too complicated. Too remote.