Patrick Cockburn in the Independent today, on the kidnap-for-cash racket.

Yessir, that's a real pick me up. The evidence is just too clear that the reality on the ground has turned a terrible corner in the past month or so, and that things really are on the verge of whinging out of control. What the heck -- maybe I'll just head into the other room here in a moment to switch on the first debate. I'm sure our wise President's comforting words about how we're successfully nurturing freedom in Iraq will make me feel so much better.

Another bit of evidence that the security pros are worrying night & day about the degree of insecurity and how it could be further politicized a la the foreign hostages. From the CS Monitor:

"They should be worried," says one American technology contractor here who has refused - despite the recent kidnapping and beheading of two US contractors who lived in an upscale Baghdad neighborhood - to relocate to the Green Zone. "I still feel safer where I am than living in there," the contractor says. requesting anonymity. "The place never has been what I'd call secure, but it's gotten worse. If they think the mortars and rockets going in there now are something, they aren't going to know what hit them."

The contractor says military specialists have repeatedly warned of the zone's security shortfalls. Indeed, officials report that a desire to head off any unhappy surprises is prompting "what-if" sessions, where scenarios involving various security breaches are thrown out and responses are weighed - with the idea of taking action so that nothing ever happens.

"What if they were able to take 200 Americans hostage, and announced they would kill one a day until they got what they wanted," one official queries. "What would our response be?"