Shannon Ryan, Editorial Intern

At the White House July 2, President Bush addressed concerns over the number of American casualties since he announced an end to major hostility in Iraq on May 1. The number has now exceeded that of American fatalities during the war. In his speech Bush proposed a challenge to militants threatening U.S. troops, declaring, "Bring 'em on."

Denounced as irresponsible by Bush's critics, the statement has sparked debate among bloggers - a group of self-proclaimed commentators who post opinions online and argue that Bush's comment was calculated.

On July 5, columnist and blogger David Warren wrote that instead of exemplifying U.S. mismanagement, Iraq is, like flypaper, a carefully set trap for all budding terrorists. According to the "flypaper theory," Bush was not showing disregard for the welfare of the troops, but was instead revealing a military strategy that draws the enemy away from American soil and unarmed citizens and toward able soldiers.

The "flypaper theory" just recently broke from the underground ranks of weblog enthusiasts into the mainstream media via CNN's interview with Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, who called Iraq a "terrorist magnet," adding, "This is exactly where we want to fight them." L. Paul Bremer, the top civilian administrator in Iraq, further bolstered the theory when an August 9 New York Times story quoted him as saying, "Though it is hard on us here, I would rather be fighting them here than fighting them in New York."