Did John McCain's Photo-Op Result in the Death of 21 Iraqi Merchants?

I know that sounds harsh, but let's review the facts.

First, McCain gave an interview in which he claimed that "[t]here are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods, today," a statement which earned him some well-deserved ridicule in the media.

So, in an effort to prove his point and rehabilitate his image, he invited a bunch of photographers, including a team from 60 Minutes, to take a stroll with him through a Baghdad market--a stroll in which he wore a bullet proof vest and was escorted by 100 soldiers, 3 blackhawk helicopters, and 2 apache gunships.

Despite the absurdity of this spectacle, McCain and his colleagues--particularly Congressman Mike Pence--proceeded to brag about how safe the streets of Baghdad are. Pence described the "friendly relaxed atmosphere" at the market and said it was "like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime."

Not content to take Pence's word for it, the New York Times went back the next day and interviewed some of the merchants who work at the market:

Several merchants said Monday that the Americans' visit might have only made the market a more inviting target for insurgents. "Every time the government announces anything -- that the electricity is good or the water supply is good -- the insurgents come to attack it immediately," said Abu Samer, 49, who would give only his nickname out of concern for his safety.

But even though he was fearful of a revenge attack, he said, he could not afford to stay away from the market. This was his livelihood. "We can never anticipate when they will attack," he said, his voice heavy with gloomy resignation. "This is not a new worry."

Sure enough, later that day, the market was attacked. According to the Times of London:

21 Shia market workers were ambushed, bound and shot dead north of the capital. The victims came from the Baghdad market visited the previous day by John McCain, the US presidential candidate, who said that an American security plan in the capital was starting to show signs of progress.

Now, it's certainly possible that this was just a tragic coincidence, that this attack had nothing whatsoever to do with McCain's visit. But isn't it just as likely, even probable, that these market workers were targeted precisely because of the publicity surrounding McCain's elaborate photo-op the day before? After all, we've seen this kind of thing time and time again. If you brag about something being safe in Iraq, you're just inviting terrorists to prove otherwise. That's why visitors to Iraq are told to be careful what they take pictures of. That's why Iraqis prefer that journalists not do stories touting their local school or hospital or whatever as a success story. They know that there's no surer way of getting it blown up.

By taking this vanity stroll through Baghdad, and by inviting news crews to come along and see how "safe" Baghdad's streets are, McCain (and Graham and Pence) not only made fools of themselves, but they effectively put a giant bullseye on the back of every merchant and patron who frequents that market. Their arrogance and vanity endangered Iraqi lives by turning that market into the most alluring of targets, a place where any attack is sure to draw heightened attention by the Western media. It was a completely reckless thing to do. And if the Times reporting is right, their actions may have resulted, albeit unintentionally, in the brutal execution of 21 Iraqi merchants.

I wonder if this possibility has even occurred to Senator McCain (or Senator Graham or Representative Pence). Perhaps some brave reporter will dare to pose that question on the next tour of the Straight Talk Express. I'd love to hear the response.