This week will be over soon, but those In Iraq who survive it will probably be soothing burnt out tensions for decades. How does peace follow war? With a limp and a hollow vow; "never again". How does peace follow war? With a weary population crawling back to the surface, assessing the damage, and piecing together their lives, again.

My stomach tied in knots
Hands tied behind my back
What difference could I make
This far away

Iraq is Iraq, not Vietnam, not Afghanistan, not some lesson in political poker. No historical lottery prize is ever awarded for pinning the tail on revenge. Any number of recent or ancient events could be pulled into the arena, any number of faces implicated, but it is human temper that sustains circumstance. A temper flares, a temper wanes. Anger as brief as regret is timeless.