I Get The Distinct Sense That Iraq Is Falling Apart

After two bombing attacks killed 67 people in Baghdad, the Sunni Arab bloc quit the government that isn't meeting this August anyway.

The truth is starting to seep out from the highest levels of the US government, with officials admitting that Sunni militants are the major problem in the country moving forward, not Al Qaeda, and the nominee to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs admitting a little truth himself:

Mullen told lawmakers the military is spread thin by the war and testified that the security situation in Iraq "is better, not great, but better" since Bush ordered additional troops deployed last winter.

Still, he said, "there does not appear to be much political progress" in Iraq toward resolving long-standing issues that might ease sectarian conflict.

Meanwhile the White House hasn't budgeted the war beyond September 30, they say because "it did not know how long the increase in forces was going to endure." However, this is really an attempt to keep it off the budget so that there will be no adverse impact. Indeed the surge may cost up to $40 billion dollars over the next two years (that's above and beyond the normal Iraq costs).

It's OK though, because Very Serious Democrats like Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack told me everything was totally awsom over there.

UPDATE: There's this bleating from the right that July was the "lowest casualty month" for US forces in a while. Year-over-year there's never been a deadlier July. July is ridiculously hot, which makes it, um, less likely for suicide attacks and what-not (at least it has in the past). Attacks have ALWAYS gone down in this month of the war. So enough.