You've probably already heard about the Shiite shrine destroyed today in the Iraqi city of Samarra just north of Baghdad.  A group of men dressed as Iraqi police entered the shrine, handcuffed the guards, planted explosives and fled.  The sacred Shiite landmark contained the tombs of the 10th and 11th imams, 9th-century descendents of the Prophet Muhammad.  Tens of thousands of Iraqis filled the streets of Samarra and Baghdad alike to protest the bombing.

What amazes me is that people are trying to shuffle the blame on Americans for this attack, people like those at The New York Times, which said immediately following its opening report:

Samarra has long been one of the most violent cities in Iraq, and American forces there have struggled to contain a virulent Sunni-led insurgency. The American military has tried various offensives, only to have insurgents regroup and carry out further strikes. The Americans have also had little success in propping up Iraqi security forces in the town.

The implication here ("American forces have struggled"; "American military has tried"; "Americans have had little success") is that America is indirectly responsible for this latest bombing of a Muslim holy site, even if the bombing itself was premeditated and performed by Iraqis.  Some Muslims seem to agree with this lop-sided viewpoint:  "God is Great, death to America which brought us terrorism."

 Does anyone notice who is missing in this blame-game?  How about the actual insurgents who planted the explosives?   (They may have  Sunnis)  We assume these men were are both Iraqis and Muslims.  Did their parents teach them that the best way to handle factions--or political disagreement--is to kill their countrymen and bomb landmarks of their own religion?  How about the numerous suicide bombings that have targeted Iraqi civilians?

I would suggest that the problems in Iraq and much of the Middle East are deep; cultural and religious.  Blaming those problems on America, the American military, or President Bush is naive, hateful, or political, all of which motives become more and more obvious with each bang.