HUMINT: This interview is typical of someone who is unwilling to admit he is contributing to Iraq's problems. After reading these questions and answers four or five times it appears more and more as if this individual does not have a rational grasp of Iraq's situation. He's not alone. Lessons have been learned and changes do need to be made - as in any conflict. Although some of his points appear coherent, his ideas are not realistically achievable through violence. How many people does this person have to kill, and why are his insurgent teams killing them? Is he targeting Iraqi versions of himself while striking out at American targets of opportunity? I think Rumsfeld and Cheney are right to call people like Abu-Umar "dead enders" because they are hurling themselves toward a dead end. The question is however, how many dead enders have to die before "the end"? Opponents of the war in Iraq surmise that because the Abu-Umars are fighting harder it is wrong to call them "dead enders". With so many enemies fighting for multidimensional ambitions, men like Abu-Umar are only bleeding Iraq.

Violence was necessary during operation "Desert Storm", "Desert Shield", "Iraqi Freedom" and so on... to protect U.S. Allies in the region as well as the global energy economy. It's time for average Iraqis to put the weapons away and get to work on their future. At the heart of the problem remains Saddam's Kuwaiti attempted resource grab. His miscalculation turned into a nightmare for the Iraqi people and a great number of American, British and other Coalition member country families. The Iraqi humanitarian disaster that followed the invasion of Kuwait was and still is Saddam's responsibility. His trial will hopefully address that point.

While violence brought by Coalition forces to the region in the name of stability has killed thousands, those operations have kept Iraq's humanitarian nightmare from spiraling into multi-millions of civilian Iraqi deaths. The work done by the Coalition has had tangible benefits. For every individual like Abu-Umar there are tens of Iraqis who have had positive interaction with Coalition forces. Granted, random searches for weapons cashes done by Multi National Forces in the quiet of night are not positive experiences. Neither is the prospect of living in fear of snipers and death squads that appear immune to MNF checkpoints. Electing a government, a relatively open media and real economic growth potential are all positives. Lest any forget it's a war; and that war is hell. Individuals, like most Iraqis in Iraq today, who are repeatedly exposed to the violent deaths of family members and or neighbors should not be expected to make rational decisions without support geared to deal with their losses. The efforts of American soldiers and citizen volunteers acknowledge this fact of war. For example, "Operation Iraqi Children" has achieved incredible success.

The Iraqi people are the best ally of Coalition Forces in this war and they are put in escalating danger because of insurgents like Abu-Umar. Abu-Umar is a "dead ender" who needs to put down his weapons or die so that Iraq may have a future. His death will not be a martyr's death. It will be the death of a traitor to the New Iraq. Abu-Umar is a traitor to the Iraqi people who are willing to believe Americans and Iraqis can be and will be strong partners.