A Bomb’s Impact in Iraq

World News Sunday anchor Dan Harris blogs from Baghdad: Here’s a telling detail: when I came into our office in Baghdad this morning, none of the my Iraqi colleagues even mentioned today’s car bombing to me. Imagine that, dozens killed in the center of town — and it doesn’t even merit a mention. Carnage is common. In fact today’s bombing is not even in the top ten most deadly since 2003. But that is not to say it is inconsequential. Most of the victims were Shiites — and the Shiite prime minister is blaming the violence on Sunni insurgents. As the religious wars here in Iraq intensify, we found a sad sign of the times. The head of the office that issues Iraq’s national ID cards says he’s seeing a rush of people wanting to change their names. Your name is often the best way to tell whether you’re a Shiite or a Sunni. Omar for example is a Sunni name. Ali is a Shiite name. And if you’re say, a Shiite in a Sunni neighborhood and the police stop you at a checkpoint and check your ID — it can mean death. As we said… A sign of the times.