A fresh analysis of the war in Iraq concludes that parts of the conflict can now be described as "civil war." In its March report to Congress, the Pentagon says that while not all of the violence in Iraq falls into that category, "some" of it does. It is the first time the Pentagon has publicly used such language. Have the military elite finally wiped the tar from their field glasses and glimpsed reality? What makes this interesting is not that the Pentagon finally admitted what many have known for months, but the potential repercussions the admission may bring. For one, the American press can stop using such tired phrases as "on the brink of civil war," or "spiraling toward civil war." These have been standard since the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra in February 2006, and for at least the past several months, they've simply been inaccurate. Now, with the March report stacked on their desks, the press finally has official permission to call the situation as it is -- or at least as it is in "some" places.
Pentagon Says Civil War Exists in Iraq. Now What?
