With Israel contained in Lebanon, we can get back to the “other” war—the one that has caused Bush’s approval ratings to hover in the 30s. If you haven’t been paying attention (given Lebanon and the London plot), things are still going from bad to worse, and the U.S. plan to secure Baghdad isn’t working.

From McClatchey (ex-Knight-Ridder):

The Baghdad security plan, which some cast as the last chance to avert a civil war, will be thwarted by Iraq's prime minister because he is unwilling to tackle the country's biggest security threat, many residents and politicians fear.

The plan calls for U.S. forces to sweep neighborhoods and help restore services, eventually leaving the capital under Iraqi military and police control. If that happens, U.S. troops could begin to withdraw. If it doesn't, the country's sectarian conflict could spiral out of control and escalate into a regional war between Iraq's Shiite and Sunni Muslim neighbors.

The offensive hasn't produced any major improvements in the capital since it began on June 14, and many Iraqis fear the plan is doomed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's willingness to attack Sunni insurgents but not the Shiite militias that support his Dawa political party.

Meanwhile, the Badr Brigade, the main Shiite militia force, is not only not disbanding, but it wants to set up formal security teams to guard Shiite areas, reports Reuters:

A Shi'ite leader has called for neighborhood committees to provide security in their own districts, casting further doubt on the ability of Iraqi and U.S. forces to reduce violence levels in Baghdad.

Hadi al-Amiri, a member of parliament and head of a Shi'ite militia, said the controversial committees were essential for security because Iraqi forces still lacked training and were not ready to tackle militants and insurgents.

"Our forces are not complete to take on this wide terrorism," he said in a recorded debate broadcast on state television on Sunday.