This weekend, Bush was enjoying his vacation in Maine and getting ready to survey the damage from his biggest domestic disaster. This weekend, in Bush's biggest foreign policy disaster, Iraq was exploding in increased violence and Americans soldiers were dying:
Shiite militiamen battled Iraqi forces for 12 hours Monday, leaving at least 40 people dead and underlining the government's difficulties as it tries to rein in the sectarian forces of an anti-U.S. cleric.
The fighting in this southern city dominated a bloody day that saw at least 20 other people killed in Baghdad, including 16 in a suicide bombing targeting the Interior Ministry complex. The U.S. military announced that nine U.S. soldiers were killed over the weekend in and around Baghdad, eight by roadside bombs and one by gunfire.
