The Home Front?

Two articles caught my attention today. One, from the Los Angeles Times is an opinion piece that tries to illustrate what life would be like for Californians if the war was happening here. One example that caught my eye:

Feb. 27: A suicide car bomber outside a busy Starbucks in Whittier killed three people. At about the same time, at an El Pollo Loco restaurant on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, a bomber ate lunch and left behind a sack of explosives, which killed three people and injured 13 when it went off.

How would Americans react, and what would they be doing about the situation if the war was "real" for them?

In fact, it's not, largely because the immediate threat to our way of life and security has been way overblown. Another article today, this one from the Washington Post, reveals various analysis that shows that..

U.S. intelligence officials and outside experts believe, the Iraqi branch poses little danger to the security of the U.S. homeland.

While there may be some continued threat from some radicals who wish to attack us at home, they're not--or we'd be seeing serious attempts on our soil. And they're not coming out of Iraq. Additionally, the war in Iraq is turning into a mindless support of a the Shiite majority, in what has evolved into a civil war. The result is going to be long lasting and grim--without any pressing need or benefit to us. As the Washington Post reports:

"It is very likely that the effects of the current jihad in Iraq will, like the earlier one in Afghanistan, be felt for years to come in the form of inspiration, skills and networking opportunities for a new generation of jihadis," said Paul Pillar, the CIA's former national intelligence officer for the Middle East and author of previous intelligence assessments on Iraq. "That does not mean that a U.S. withdrawal would make AQI more likely to attempt attacks against the United States."