WASHINGTON € President Bush declared Friday that the Iraqi people faced a “moment of choosing” as his administration weighed whether its policies and the U.S. military are sufficient to avert a weak ally’s descent into civil war. In a somber speech to military veterans, Bush said the coming days would be “difficult and exhausting” because of the sectarian fury unleashed by the bombing of a Shiite shrine. But he insisted that the situation holds reason for optimism because Iraqis “want their freedom.” Although Iraq appeared to be calmer Friday under a strict curfew, administration officials and outside analysts said the upheaval had demonstrated the dearth of options and limits on American power there. The violence made it clear that the Americans’ ultimate tool € U.S. military forces € would be of little value in the event of all-out civil war because of the difficulty of using Americans to separate Shiites and Sunnis in a battle. “When it’s a fight of Iraqi Shia on Sunnis, our guys can’t get in the middle,” said one senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment. “It would all be up to the […]