The SURGE MAY BE KINDA WORKING -- MAYBE!

[Atman]

That's today's talking point...I've heard several different versions of it today, from NPR radio to Wolfie just now on CNN. They're careful not to say it IS working, but statistics are in...and while we've lost 75 American soldiers so far this month, the military thinks that possibly it could be that perhaps incidents of violent attacks against us could be down. Sort of.

.

[NDP]

What about those "jobs" that were supposed to have been added along with this escalation? That's

the difference between this "surge" and the other "surges." The other "surges" didn't work, so with this one the added "jobs." That's the difference. If this one works it will be because of "the jobs" not because of the additional troops, which has never worked.

[Jacobin]

1. It's whack-a-mole

Most insurgents will lie low or move away while the troops build up.

When the troops leave or move away, they'll be back.

You'd think the media doesn't even know what Viet Nam was about.

[roamer65]

6. You speak the truth.

They're either laying low or have move out to the countryside or other cities. I hear Diyala province is now getting real bad because of the movement out of Baghdad.

[doublethink]

11. Read up, looked into the Diyala province quite a bit yesterday ...

and yep you pegged it .... you speak the truth too.

[Sapere aude]

2. It won't last. It's like the kid who leaves the cookie jar alone when mom's around.

[NNadir]

3. Sort of, in a way.

I'll bet the 75 dead soldiers have no comment.

[AndyA]

4. But nothing will bring back the troops who've already died.

Even with a Rabbit, a wand, and a top hat, they couldn't make magic out of that!

For the sake of the troops over there, I hope the surge does work. But there is no excuse for what has happened to date, and no assurance that the attacks won't increase in the future.

We just need to bring them home and let the Iraqi people fix their country.

[donco6]

5. Anyone remember N. Ireland?

The locals would firebomb something - some kid would get killed - the Brits would roll in the tanks for a few months - everything would die down for a bit - the Brits would retire the tanks - the locals would firebomb something - some kid would get killed - the Brits would roll in the tanks for a few months - everything would die down for a bit - the Brits would retire the tanks - the locals would firebomb something - some kid would get killed - the Brits would roll in the tanks for a few months - everything would die down for a bit - the Brits would retire the tanks - the locals would firebomb something - some kid would get killed - the Brits would roll in the tanks for a few months - everything would die down for a bit - the Brits would retire the tanks - the locals would firebomb something - some kid would get killed - the Brits would roll in the tanks for a few months - everything would die down for a bit - the Brits would retire the tanks - the locals would firebomb something - some kid would get killed - the Brits would roll in the tanks for a few months - everything would die down for a bit - the Brits would retire the tanks - the locals would firebomb something - some kid would get killed - the Brits would roll in the tanks for a few months - everything would die down for a bit - the Brits would retire the tanks - the locals would firebomb something - some kid would get killed - the Brits would roll in the tanks for a few months - everything would die down for a bit - the Brits would retire the tanks - the locals would firebomb something - some kid would get killed -

[Aviation Pro]

9. Badger, badger, badger.....

...mushroom, mushroom....

http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/

[donco6]

10. OOOhhh it's a SNAKE!

That's pretty bizarre!

[butterfly77]

7. Isn't that a high number for one month...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. We've lost 47 troops this month.

Which given that the month's only half over is higher than average.

The surge ain't working for shit, and anybody saying so is a liar.

[HRC_in_08]

15. truth. eom.

[Chef]

12. Save Private Ryans

Don't care if it is sorta maybe working. To paraphrase General Marshall "Let's get them the hell out of there" now no matter what the excuse.

[TwilightGardener]

13. Notice how it's supposedly working at the same time Petraeus is asking Gates

for more troops? Now, why would they need more troops, if it's working?

[Beelzebud]

14. No Really! No bullshit this time! It's really working! Seriously!

lol

/me pukes.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Middle of the momth

at this rate it will be...

140 dead

Hold it, that would make it the BLOODIEST month on record.

[leftchick]

17. all one needs to do is read this to know......

IT ISN'T FUCKING WORKING AND NOTHING WILL "WORK"! Bring Em Home!



Friday, March 16, 2007

Senate Republicans Defeat Iraq Withdrawal Timetable;
5 US Troops Killed

5 US GIs were announced killed on Thursday. Militiamen or guerrillas killed 4 with a bomb as they were returning from Sadr City (Shiite East Baghdad). Another had been killed on Wednesday by Sunni Arab guerrillas in al-Anbar Province.

Police found 20 bodies in the streets of Baghdad. Rahim Darraji, the Sadrist mayor of a district of Sadr City, was attacked and wounded. He had been an advocate of Shiite cooperation with the present security plan. Another bombing, in Karrada, killed at least 8 persons; it was apparently targeting Sabir al-Issawi, head of the Baghdad city council, and was probably the work of Sunni Arab guerrillas.

Guerrillas detonated a bomb at a checkpoint in Iskandariya just south of Baghdad, killing 4 and wounding 24. McClatchy reports on killings in Diyala Province, including the killing of 5 policemen in the city of Kanaan.

An Iraqi poll of Baghdad residents done in February shows that only 34 percent approve of the job Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is doing. Only 32 percent say that their neighborhoods are secure. Only 3 percent said security had improved in the previous three months, and only 10 percent had any hope it would in the coming months. 26 percent believe that sectarian militias make them safer, down a bit from September. A US military spokesman admitted that these poll numbers are "bad."


http://juancole.com/


<snip>

The U.S. has erred by placing so much emphasis on Baghdad, Cordesman says. In essence, U.S. policymakers have the old balloon problem in Iraq; squeeze one part and the balloon, or level of violence, bulges elsewhere.

“Winning security control of the city and losing Iraq’s 11 other major cities and countryside to Iraq’s sectarian and ethnic factions is not victory in any strategic, it is defeat. As has been discussed earlier, the minimal requirement for a successful US strategy is a relatively stable and secure Iraq, not temporary US military control of Baghdad.”

Cordesman notes the complexity of the problem facing the U.S. by saying there are at least four conflicts raging in Iraq:

“The Neo-Salafi Islamic extremist insurgency; Iraqi Sunni Arab versus Shi’ite Arab, Arab-Shi’ite versus Shi’ite, and Arab versus Kurd. Each involves a different level and mix of violence.”

And that’s not even the entirety of the challenge. Cordesman misses at least three obvious additional conflicts that concern most Americans—extremists Islamists versus the U.S., Sunni-Baathist versus the U.S. and Shi’a versus the U.S.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2007/03/analyst_paints_.html