US strategy in Iraq failing

The BBC reports that, although four rockets were fired at two hotels and the Oil Ministry, bringing joy to the hearts of US administration officials and like-minded supporters of the US’s strategy in Iraq, their hopes were dashed when far more rockets failed to be fired:

[T]wo donkey carts loaded with dozens of rockets were found near the Italian Embassy.

They were attached to timers but had yet to fire, reports say.

Puzzled? Well, consider this: last month, Bush administration claimed that such bombings were a sign of success:

President Bush insisted Monday that the United States is making progress in Iraq and said American successes are actually spurring the violence by making insurgents more desperate.

It therefore logically follows that every attack is a promising sign that things are going well.

So today’s failed attack on the Italian embassy is a worrying setback. Even more troubling are the large numbers of attacks that didn’t happen. Unless the rate of bombings, mortar attacks and suicide bombs goes up significantly, we will not be able to say, hand on heart, that we are succeeding in Iraq.

Only when the country is a war zone again will we have achieved a full, strong and lasting peace.