I think "probably" The greater move to destabilize the Kirkuk

[Joe for Clark]

annexation - it probably started on Saturday night or the next morning. BECAUSE - in that time there were a "series" of assasination attempts that appear to have gone off in quick sucession of the government leadership in Kurdistan. Some were clearly successful - some were not. And to this day there are disputed accounts of one of the attacks - the bombing that purportedly killed PKK and PDK leaders - 4 of them.

Here is the thing - all the other attacks did not use bombs - they used just guns and they were aiming at specific targets. I think so - since they didn't seem to hit any bystanders.It is a real different MO looks like and they had to be coordinated. And it is not that the bombings don't continue up there, nor that the rhetoric remains very hot -it does. But I think a new face is there too - and that is new.

I admit this is muddy - it is - It would be a lot clearer if we had better reporters too. I am convinced we will never know anything until way after the fact.

Joe