Fragility Of The Iraqi Government Becomes Apparent In Twin Crisises

The fragility of the Iraqi government became apparent in twin crisises which struck both the nation's president and one of two vice presidents. American military bomb sweeping units throughly checked out a government meeting hall, including the use of bomb sniffing dogs, yet suspected Sunni insurgents were able to denotate a bomb that slightly wounded, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, and killed or wounded many others. Even within the halls of government, insurgents have proven the ability to stike despite American security efforts.

In a a second crisis for the Iraqi government, President Jalal Talibani has been hospitalized and undergoing some sort of medical treatment in Jordan.

Both crisises illustrate what an essy target the Iraqi government could be for an overthrow by a Shiite militia group such as that of Muqtada al-Sadr. George Bush may portray a serious threat from Al Qaeda in Iraq, however this tiny Sunni organization is the most unlikely to topple the government in Iraq. The biggest threat is by a radical Shiite militia group even worse than the official Iraqi government, which is certainly no major image of integrity.