Co-ed Conundrum

A recent article in Time Magazine discussed a change in tactics for insurgents in Iraq. Incidentally, can we quit calling them terrorists? I want to see us win that war/conflict as badly as Dick Cheney himself, but when somebody lives their entire life in one city, and then fights a foreign army in that city, "terrorist" is the wrong word for him. Alas, I digress. The new tactic is the growing use of females as one-way bombers. Different news outlets say "homicide" or "suicide" bombers, but I think we can agree that the mission is one-way only. This is a startling occurrence in a culture that doesn't even want women to really be seen in public. Of course, women have an easier time penetrating a security screen that forbids males from touching females, and has a stigma against hiring female guards as well. However, I think that this is the sort of thing that the United States needs to win this war. While tactically savvy, this switch by the insurgents is strategically foolish. If confiscating people's personal possessions, forbidding alcohol, and shooting people for things like having the wrong haircut wasn't going to erode Iraqi support for the insurgency in areas of its control, this will. Arab muslims don't even like for their women to have to hold jobs, so does anybody out there suppose having them volunteer to be blown into chunks of parboiled flesh will build support? No, this is a desperate move, and is the sort of thing that will actually make the U.S. and the elected government actually look like a good option to the average Iraqi. Let's hope this is a true sign of the tide turning in our favor.