There are of course many ways to go to the market, but it usually involves arriving with an empty shopping bag, do some shopping and perhaps talk to some fellow shoppers and salespeople, and head back home with a full basket. Rather straightforward, isn't it? Millions of people have this experience every day all over the globe.
If you go to the market in Baghdad, it becomes a bit more complicated. For the simple reason you might get killed. Even more so if you are not an Iraqi, but a foreigner. No foreigner in his right mind would go for a stroll in a Baghdad market, because you might very well never make it back home.
Unless, your name is John McCain. Senator McCain. Presidential hopeful McCain. He just goes for a stroll to show how safe Baghdad has become thanks to Bush's surge. But wait a minute, he didn't go all by himself... Let's see: protected by a bulletproof vest, 100 heavily armed special forces, a fleet of armed Humvees, snipers on the rooftops, and a few helicopters overhead to provide cover.
“Like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime”, said representative Mike Pence, who accompanied McCain. Now that's news to me: I didn't know you needed a hundred soldiers, armed Humvees, snipers and helicopters to go to the market in Indiana. (The New York Times: McCain Wrong on Iraq Security, Merchants Say).
They did do some shopping after all. Senator Lindsey Graham bought five rugs for five dollars.
You can be sure the market will be the target of suicide bombers in the coming days and pretty soon nothing of it will be left. Thanks to John McCain.
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