"To leave that country before the job is done would be to hand Iraq over to car bombers and assassins," he said.

But, as it was pointed out then, even a bumbling car bomber can wreak havoc.

The car bomber was a Somali contractor who had easy access to the base.

Pylons blocked the entrance to every hotel and government building we'd passed: security against car bombers.

Sawhorses have been erected to block car bombers from parking areas.

Before that, the most lethal attack came in the spring of 2004, when a car bomber killed eight soldiers, also in southern Baghdad.

General Tyszkiewicz said the car bombers were shot dead before they reached the military bases.

These same marines had earlier seen two of their comrades killed by a car bomber.

A lake that will be a protective moat against car bombers is being built on the southern side of the site.

The security measures seemed paltry, certainly nothing that would discourage a determined car bomber.