"Baghdad will burn"

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki was quoted by a U.S. military official as saying "Baghdad will burn" if U.S. President Barack Obama were to release detainee abuse photos from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a June 1, 2009 article by Nancy A. Youssef, published at McClatchydc.com.

After Maliki's warning to defense officials that Iraq would "erupt into violence" if the photos were released, Obama decided not to release the photos, despite an ACLU lawsuit requesting their release.

Iraq will burn, just as Maliki predicts. Just as Jeremiah foresaw 2,600 years ago: "It is a work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans... the time of their punishment... Your day has come, the time when I shall punish you. (After) the arrogant one will stumble and fall with no one to raise him up,... I shall set fire to his cities, and it will devour all his environs" (Jer. 50:25,27,31-32).

And so Iraq will burn. The only question now is, what tiny spark will ignite the fire? A photo? A speech? An insult? Time will tell.