This is a big story. And some are even ignoring it. But the attack Tuesday on the Golden Mosque in Iraq, a Shiite shrine, could ignite a civil war in that country that this country would not be able to control.

Here is the deal. It looks to us like Al Qaeda now understands it can never defeat the USA in Iraq. Now the only strategy the terrorists have is to ignite a civil war between the Shiite majority and the Sunni minority. If that happens, no one be able to control it and Iraq would descend into bloody chaos.

After the Golden Mosque was defiled, violence immediately broke out. Sunni mosques were attacked and the death toll stands at 100. That, of course, is what Al Qaeda wants. The crazy Shiite cleric, al-Sadr is already accusing the new Iraqi government and U.S. forces of failing to protect the Shiite shrines. And al-Sadr, a truly dangerous man and has ordered his armed militia to defend the holy sites.

Again, Usama bin Laden is applauding all this.

The frustrating thing is that the USA can't control this religious violence. No country could. So there is little we could do is pray things don't get worse. "Talking Points" believes America's cause in Iraq is noble. We have liberated millions of people and trying to give them a chance of freedom. Also, if Iraq does become a free nation, it would be a huge victory for the USA. But those are huge ifs. And right now Iraq is tottering.

It's a shame because we've spent billions and lost thousands of lives in this effort. At this point, the only hope is the Iraqis themselves, both Shiites and Sunnis, will understand Al Qaeda is their enemy and wants them to kill each other. That understood, maybe the Iraqis will begin to unite against the terrorists. Maybe. It's a long shot but at this point it might be the only shot because the situation in Iraq is definitely on the edge.

And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Bring back Phil Donahue. It was three years ago this month that MSNBC fired Mr. Donahue for low ratings. We felt bad for Phil. They didn't give him much of a chance.

Phil actually said his firing was a mistake, and he was right. His successor after three long years on the air actually has fewer viewers now than Donahue did when he left. That is a disaster.

So in the interest of fairness, we have a petition on BillOReilly.com to bring Phil back, and Marlo, too, if she wants. Kind of like that Maury-Connie thing. If enough of you sign the petition, we'll send it over to NBC and hopefully, Phil Donahue will get the chance he deserves. Let's go to bat for our friend Phil. To not do so would be ridiculous. Maybe we should get a bumper sticker.

—You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com

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