A double car bombing and a shooting killed 34 Shiite Muslims on pilgrimage in Iraq on Monday, the deadliest in a wave of attacks across the country that left at least 65 dead. It was the bloodiest day of violence in nearly two months.

Police officials said the worst attack took place Monday night in the southern Baghdad suburb of al-Rasheed, when two car bombs struck a group of Shiite pilgrims walking to the holy Shiite city of Karbala, killing 23 and wounding 55.

Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims are making their way to the city to commemorate Arbaeen, the end of 40 days of mourning following the anniversary of the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure.

Earlier in the day, gunmen opened fire on a bus in Mosul that was carrying Shiite pilgrims traveling also to Karbala, killing 11 and wounding eight. Mosul is located about 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

Sunni Muslim insurgents in Iraq frequently attack Shiites, who they consider infidels. Usually, Shiite marches to holy cities are poorly protected by Iraqi security forces.

In other violence on Monday, a group of suicide bombers launched a brazen attack on a police station in the town of Beiji, a former insurgent stronghold 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, where a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into the main gate of the town police station.

That explosion paved the way for three other suicide bombers who were on foot to storm inside and blow themselves up in the building, a police officer said. Eight policemen, including an officer, were killed while five were wounded in the attack, he said.

Later in the morning, several bombings hit different parts of Baghdad and northern Iraq, police said.

In southeastern Baghdad, a parked car bomb ripped through a parking lot, killing six civilians and wounding 12.

Another parked car bomb went off in the central Salhia neighborhood near the heavily fortified Green Zone where key government offices and foreign embassies are located. That attack killed five civilians and wounded 14.

Four civilians were killed and 11 were wounded when a parked car bomb exploded at an outdoor market in Baghdad’s central Sadriyah neighborhood. A bomb went off near a bus station in the nearby al-Nahda area, killing three people and wounding seven. Another bomb in the eastern suburb of Hussainiyah killed one civilian and wounded seven.

pacino wrote:In other violence on Monday, a group of suicide bombers launched a brazen attack on a police station in the town of Beiji, a former insurgent stronghold 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, where a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into the main gate of the town police station.

That explosion paved the way for three other suicide bombers who were on foot to storm inside and blow themselves up in the building, a police officer said. Eight policemen, including an officer, were killed while five were wounded in the attack, he said.

jerseyhoya wrote:Weird day...Tom Latham (R-SW Iowa), Frank Wolf (R-NoVa) and Jim Matheson (D-Salt Lake City) all announce that they're retiring at the end of the term

Latham's and Wolf's seats will be tossups, big pickup opportunities for the Dems. Matheson's seat will be a GOP pickup. Probably Rep. Mia Love.

dajafi wrote:A grad school professor of mine who helped design the Clinton healthcare plan in the early '90s ran against Wolf a couple times, I think in '04 and '06. Came fairly close but obviously didn't win. She's probably too old to try again, but who knows.

td11 wrote:

RichmondPhilsFan wrote:

td11 wrote:

I have to say, that looks pretty great.

gr wrote:Currently on a documentary kick, so will def watch that.

CalvinBall wrote:

RichmondPhilsFan wrote:

td11 wrote:

I have to say, that looks pretty great.

agreed. looks fascinating.

Bucky wrote:netflix, will be tricky


"OK, everybody hit 'play' in 3...2...1...NOW!!!"

td11 wrote:

[Reveal] Spoiler:

philliesphhan wrote:It almost amazes me how human, and even kinda funny, some recent losing presidential candidates are, but we didn't see any of it until after: Dole, Gore, Kerry, evidently even Romney.