9 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Sen. Joseph Lieberman (news, bio, voting record) said Sunday the United States should consider a military strike against Iran because of Tehran's involvement in Iraq.
"I think we've got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq," Lieberman said. "And to me, that would include a strike over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people coming back into Iraq to kill our soldiers."
The U.S. accuses Iran of fostering terrorism and Tehran's nuclear ambitions have brought about international reproach.
Lieberman, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000 who now represents Connecticut as an independent, spoke of Iranians' role in the continued violence in Iraq.
link By Ross Colvin 40 minutes ago
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces should be in a position to take control of 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces by year's end, although they will not be ready to fight on their own for some time, a top U.S. general said on Sunday.
Giving a candid assessment of their capabilities, Lieutenant-General Martin Dempsey, in charge of U.S.-led efforts to reconstruct Iraq's security forces over the past 22 months, also said there was a critical shortage of good senior officers.
Creating a new police force and army, disbanded after the U.S.-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein in 2003, is a prerequisite for a U.S. withdrawal. U.S. soldiers though have voiced frustration at what they see as slow progress.
Dempsey's efforts to rebuild Iraq's security forces, which now comprise 154,000 soldiers and 194,000 policemen, have been dogged by accusations that the forces, especially the police, are beset by sectarianism, corruption and poor discipline.
linkThey'll be ready to take over by the end of the year, but not stand on their own for some time?
Nine weeks of basic training prepares a U.S. high school student for combat. If the Iraqis are already trained and battle tested, why the hell can't they stand on their own? Withdraw the troops.