Postscript to previous posting ...

Manor House of Baddesley Clinton (a relative of Bill's perhaps?)

The above suggests that, for those of you who are imagining a trench fed from the Tigris and loaded with crocodiles and man-eating lizards or the stuff of legends long past, the "moat" needn't be too bad looking.

Also, I received an email already that sent me scurrying to an AP story dated today that mentions a successful trench in the desert. Yikes! I was not only wrong, but ashamed that I hadn't remembered ... it was so close to where I lived for almost seven years. Anyway, the Prophet Mohammad protected the city of Medina (second holiest Islamic site just ahead of Jerusalem and second only to Mecca) with a number of trenches in 627 AD during the Battle of Khandaq. According to the AP story, the idea hatched by the Iraqis was inspired by the Battle of Khandaq.

That is truly embarrassing ... an old Arab hand like me ...

In my defense, I was never permitted to travel all the way into Medina (or Mecca) since I am not a Muslim, and had to stay on the perimeter road when trekking in that direction. Also, no large river goes through Medina, so ... I still don't like it ... even if GWB seemed to yesterday.