Posted 9:22 PM by Robert

A Silver Lining

The New York Times reports:

Gen. Hazem al-Rawi, a spokesman for the Iraqi armed forces, said today that 4,000 volunteers from 23 Arab countries stand ready to carry out suicide attacks against American forces.

Of course, it's sad if 4,000 people are this foolish - and that Ameircan sericemen have to deal with this tactic.

But there is a silver lining. Gen. Hazem al-Rawi is doing the US a service here. With the world now aware that Iraq has established a homicide-bomber policy of this scope, it should be easier for the US to deflect future charges of unnecessary violence by US servicemen against Iraqi civilians.

In such cases, an argument along the lines of "the servicemen thought the now-defunct civilians might well have been homicide bombers" should be mightly handy in the media wars.

UPDATE: A sad example comes up right away.