Iraq hits home in Ohio

United States forces have been conducting operations in western Iraq, near the Syrian border, to close an infiltration route for foreign fighters and to clear the region of insurgents so Iraqi forces can assume responsibility for security there. The deaths of at least 21 Marines in a matter of days are a jolting reminder of the obstacles the U.S. still must overcome, nearly 2 1/2 years after invading, before the Bush administration can proceed with troop reductions that officials have begun to hint are coming next spring.

Fourteen Marines and an interpreter died Wednesday when a large bomb destroyed their amphibious vehicle. It was lightly armored -- again raising questions about preparation and supplies -- but the blast was so strong that more armor might not have helped. The attack continues the insurgents' trend toward more sophisticated, lethal attacks. On Monday, six Marines from the same Ohio-based unit died in an ambush, and another died in a suicide bombing.

Political progress is supposed to pay off, eventually, in lower levels of violence. But for now, commanders predict, there will be increased attacks as Iraqis work toward writing and adopting a constitution ahead of general elections tentatively scheduled for the end of this year.

Insurgent attacks are at about 70 a day, near the all-time high. As striking as the lack of progress on security is the lack of progress in restoring services. A poll completed in March and posted on the Brookings Institution's Web site ranks security as only the fifth most pressing concern for Iraqis. Inadequate electricity is No. 1, followed by unemployment, lack of health care and crime. In July, electricity was available an average of about 13 hours a day, the highest point this year but still down from the peak of 16 hours in March 2004. Oil production was 2.15 million barrels a day, compared with prewar production of 2.5 million. And 2.5 million is the new goal, a cut from the previous goal of between 2.8 million and 3 million barrels per day.

With so few Americans directly affected by what happens in Iraq, it can be easy for the rest of the U.S. not to appreciate or to forget how dangerous Iraq remains. Political progress has been the steadiest, but there's a limit to how far politics can move forward if security and economics don't catch up.