As Violence Deepens, So Does Pessimism (washingtonpost.com): "'We could not imagine the deterioration leading to such a point. It's getting worse day after day, and no one has been able to put an end to it. Who is going to protect the next government, no matter what kind it is?' said Abdul Jalil Mohsen, a former Iraqi general and member of the Iraqi National Accord, a prominent party represented on the U.S.-appointed Governing Council, which Salim headed this month under a rotating system.
'There's no question: A small band of people can paralyze the country,' said Mahmoud Othman, an independent Kurdish member of the council. 'They are armed and organized and this is the difficulty. The people who did this have no respect for anything of value. It's a real danger to Iraq, the Iraqis and to an agenda to achieve any kind of democracy.'
Inside the Green Zone, the heavily fortified U.S. administration compound that Salim was about to enter when the suicide bomber struck, expectations are grim. 'It will take a lot of doing for this not to end in a debacle,' a senior occupation official said. 'There is no confidence in the coalition. Why should there be?'
On Baghdad's hot and dusty streets, Iraqi working people also expressed a deep sense of pessimism. 'Our country is at a loss. I don't think that even after the handover the government will control things,' said Ali Fakhri, who owns a fabric store in the Kadhimiya district.
'Just look around,' said Bakran Ohan, who sells baby clothes. 'Do you see any police? Any soldiers? There is a complete lack of security. It won't change from day to night on June 30.' "
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