Have a sectarian day

The latest word is: sectarian, as in "sectarian violence."

Can you say, sectarian?

The word made its debut when the idea that Iraq was on the brink of civil war took hold; or it had plunged over the brink into the abyss.

Sectarian is used to differentiate the two sides from the terrorists, I think. The sectarians are not dead-enders, and they are not terrorists. They are just misguided.

The terrorists are trying, we are told, to create civil war between the Shiites and the Sunnis - and these are the two sects that are plunging into sectarian violence.

1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sect.
2. Adhering or confined to the dogmatic limits of a sect or denomination; partisan.
3. Narrow-minded; parochial.

Sectarian is a useful word. It sounds better than: Islamic civil war. It almost sounds like a bunch of stenographers are having at it.

The word pops up as our President (who some would say is himself the head of a sectarian administration) has started a new PR swing to tell us that things aren't as bad as they seem in Iraq - and who are you going to believe: me or your own eyes. But our own eyes - he says - can't be trusted because the media is so bad. They are so awful.

"So today I'd like to share a concrete example of progress in Iraq that most Americans do not see every day in their newspapers or on their television screens. I'm going to tell you the story of a northern Iraqi city called Tal Afar, which was once a key base of operations for al Qaeda and is today a free city that gives reason for hope for a free Iraq." - Today, President speaking in Ohio.

You should read this speech carefully. Not so much for the content - but for the tone. The tone is that we are children and big daddy is going to tell us a bedtime story that will take away our nightmares. It is written like a fairy tale or a fable.

"So today I'd like to share a concrete example of progress in Iraq"

I'm going to use the power of my office to dominate all the media and tell you what I think you should know and which isn't being seen in your media. [Now it is time for someone from our media to visit Tal Afar and let us know if anything that follows is true. Also - remember - the media won't show any of this, but they will let you tell us about it. If what is told is true, and you haven't seen pictures or read nice stories - there are two reasons for this: media are interested in dog bites man stories. They have never been interested in a story about how peaceful things are. But more to the point - odds are that journalists can't travel to that city without being kidnapped or killed.]

I'm going to tell you the story of a northern Iraqi city called Tal Afar, which was once a key base of operations for al Qaeda and is today a free city that gives reason for hope for a free Iraq.

This sentence is packed. I'm going to tell you the story of a northern Iraqi city called Tal Afar --

I'm not going to jump on the fact that the president didn't pronounce the city the same way twice and this looks like a simple one to pronounce for a westerner - but the phrase, "I'm going to tell you a story..." Yeah, a story - as in a piece of fiction. I wouldn't have let that phrase stay.

"Tal Afar which was once a key base of operations for al Qaeda"

Uh - when was that - before or after the Americans arrived?

"...is today a free city that gives reason for hope for a free Iraq."

In other words, and I take the president at his word - because Tal Afar is now "free" - we have reason to believe the rest of the country will one day be free.

These are false analogies. What you would need to do is give me some statistics regarding free and non-free cities in Iraq. If you tell me that this one city is free - does this say anything about what is going on in the rest of the country?

Picture the confederate president during the civil war saying that things were going well for the south - and that as an example - (fill in your southern town here) was in the hands of the confederates.

What the president believes - what he doesn't believe - those are things of no importance. What is important is that he be able to give realistic appraisals of what is going on - not what he wishes was going on.

USAGE (all from today's speech)
"I believe that as Iraqis continue to see the benefits of liberty, they will gain confidence in their future and they will work to ensure that common purpose trumps narrow sectarianism."

"One of the biggest complaints was the police force, which rarely ventured out of its headquarters. When it did venture, it was mostly to carry out sectarian reprisals."

"Unlike other parts of Iraq, in Tal Afar, the reaction was subdued, with few reports of sectarian violence. "

"The terrorists have not given up in Tal Afar. And they may yet succeed in exploding bombs or provoking acts of sectarian violence."

"A recent television report followed a guy named Captain Jesse Sellers on patrol and described him as a pied piper with crowds of Iraqi children happily chanting his name as he greets locals with the words "Salam alaikim" which means, "Peace be with you."

And - as if speaking in fairytale voice wasn't enough - there is an actual quote from a fairytale: the pied piper.

I expect more fairytales in the following speeches.