More Mayhem In Iraq
This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.
Daily life continues to devolve in Baghdad. The latest example is yet one more discouraging sign of how little control the Iraqis or the Americans have in the Iraqi capital.
The brother of Iraq's vice president was murdered Monday. That's not particularly notable because the siblings and other family members of most any Iraqi government official are fare game for assassination.
What stands out about this murder was Amir al-Hashimi was the third sibling of Iraq's vice president to be gunned down. And God forbid you witness an attack like this: According to The New York Times, seven neighbors who saw what happened, including some children, have disappeared.
Vice President al-Hashimi is Sunni, and the assassins wore official-looking uniforms — typical of the Shiite death squads who fill the ranks of the Iraqi police.
This may not be a civil war like the ones in our history books, but when the Iraqis get around to writing theirs, what else will they call it?
Harry's daily commentary can be heard on manyCBS Radio News affiliates across the country.
By Harry Smith