Should we be offended?

Regular readers will know of our recurring theme of the apparent or supposed analogies between Dubya's War on Terror and the Troubles in Northern Ireland. For instance, Unionist leader David Trimble has promoted the linkage as his main credential in the Vast Rightwing Conspiracy, and the legal reasoning of the White House and its spinners on treatment of prisoners has drawn, to a disturbing extent, on precedents from Northern Ireland.

In what we hope is a more light-hearted parallel (to the extent one can be lighthearted about these things), we read in today's Washington Post, regarding the collapsing security situation on the Baghdad Airport road:

The Army's 1st Cavalry Division has about 1,000 soldiers dedicated to guarding the highway, which the U.S. military refers to as Route Irish.