Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks: Only 1/4 of Baghdad is currently under control...

[Ilsa]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/04/monday/index.html

U.S. general says only one-fourth of Baghdad is in 'controlled state'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In the most direct comments to date about the security situation in Iraq, a top U.S. military commander said Monday progress is lacking in key areas of the city.

Only one-quarter of Baghdad is currently under control, according to Army Brig. General Vincent Brooks, the deputy commanding general for Multi-National Division-Baghdad.

In a telephone interview with CNN, Brooks said just "one-quarter of Baghdad is in a controlled state." In defining "a controlled state" he said, "generally speaking it is when we are able to maintain physical influence over a specific area, preventing its use by the enemy."

Brooks emphasized that progress is being made in some areas. But he said establishing control has progressed slower than planned in some key neighborhoods -- in part due to a continuing shortage of qualified Iraqi police forces. --From CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr (Posted 2:16 p.m.)

Also posted in LBN.

[KansDem]

1. How much you wanna bet Bush installs a dictator far more tyrannical than Saddam?

Face it, Bush is in way over his head. Iraq is in violent turmoil with several factions fighting each other. Saddam kept a lid on this and did so with an iron fist. I wonder if Bush will have to find a more evil despotic leader to put the lid on this civil war. That's the way the USA operates.

That would be Bush's swan-song: start a war based on lies to "replace" a murderous potentate, only to install a second murderous potentate even worse than the first, all in order to control the oil.

And how many lives will this cost?