Iraq Strategy: More Yanks, Fewer Brits
Such perfect timing - almost as if Blair is trying to distance himself from Bush. As George announces a surge of 22,000 Troops, Team Tony are quietly leaking that 4,000 Troops will be leaving in May, just in time for his triumphal departure from Downing St.
There are a couple of interesting things about Bush's plan - straight out of the AEI playbook. Firstly, it's the numbers; originally the leaks said he was planning 50,000 extra troops, then it went down to 30,000 and now hits the low at 20,000. Secondly, these troops seem to include a lot of 'specialists', mainly REMF types and not front line soldiers.
Bush still doesn't understand what is happening in Iraq, preferring the Fantasy version. In his speech to the nation we only have to wait for the third sentence to see how far removed he is from reality:
Not true, the Iraqis voted for a sectarian government, shia voted for shia, sunni for sunni and kurd for kurd. None of them wanted a unified government. The fifth sentence shows how delusional his planning is:
Most commentators were warning that the government would be highly divisive, indeed it took months to choose a Prime Minister - a sure sign of trouble ahead, a sign that was ignored.
The surge plan itself is frighteningly inept. Here's what he says about his big plan:
These Iraqi forces will operate from local police stations - conducting patrols, setting up checkpoints, and going door-to-door to gain the trust of Baghdad residents.
Would you want a visit from the militia-riddled Iraqi forces acting as door-to-door trust salesmen? I think the prospect of the Iraqi forces closing down an area and going door-to-door to be one that is frightening for the majority of Baghdad residents.
How long is this operation going to last?
If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people - and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people....
... So America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced.
To establish its authority, the Iraqi government plans to take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's provinces by November.
So, if it all goes wrong, he's already got a plan to blame Iraq for messing up Iraq.
Now, here's a problem; The US and Iraqi forces have recently fought a day long battle in Haifa Street, Baghdad, claiming it to be a success.
Haifa Street, a sunni stronghold where 100 shia were kidnapped and hung from lamposts as revenge for Saddam's execution. Once again the Iraqi forces are doing the shia militias work for them. not a good sign for the forthcoming operations...
Quote: "I have made it clear
Quote:
"I have made it clear to the prime minister and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not open-ended"
And:
"If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people - and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people"....
So ermm, what will he do exactly if there is non-compliance; withdraw troops?
Ahhh, I know, pass the buck, blame Iran, then get the nukes out.....
Hmmmm, I wonder what the Blair stance will be?
John Bolton on Today,
John Bolton on Today, talking about selling the 'surge':
Check it out when it comes up on the website - quite an extraordinary degree of self delusion.
Haifa Street, a sunni
Haifa Street, a sunni stronghold where 100 shia were kidnapped and hung from lamposts as revenge for Saddam's execution.
Quarsan - the IHT article you link to mentions second-hand accounts about "stringing three bodies from lampposts" - nothing about 100 of them - so I assume you have some other evidence for your claim.
Could you provide a link?
About those numbers. In July
About those numbers. In July 2004, it took 3000 US troops to temporarily clear Haifa Street. By this yardstick, Bush is sending just 7 streets' worth of troops.
ron, here you go
ron, here you go
holy fuck.the Telegraph.It
holy fuck.the Telegraph.It must be true!!!
this site is full of shit.posts getting removed for no good reason.New labour gatekeepers.
I'll believe the British
I'll believe the British troop withdrawal when I see it. We're stuck in there as long as the Yanks are. Neither Nu Lab nor the Tories will dare to remove them.
Hold on anon@10:39, are we
Hold on anon@10:39, are we New Labour[today] or MI5[Yesterday]? I would go on, but I'm getting a call on the Batphone...
Thanks Quarsan. None of the
Thanks Quarsan.
None of the eyewitnesses mention "100 bodies" so your sole source for that claim is a statement from the Interior Ministry, which is run by Shia fundamentalists from SCIRI.
You've been sold a pup.
Ron, over 100 Shia were
Ron, over 100 Shia were killed in revenge for the Saddam execution and most were found on Haifa Street. There are many other references to the story, including eyewitness reports.
All this talk of 'one last
All this talk of 'one last surge' seems a bit familiar - isn't it just the same tactic they used on the Somme in 1916?
It's significant that few or
It's significant that few or none of the senior US officers in Iraq thought Bush's "surge" policy was feasible. That's why he's had to remove a bunch of experienced generals who have been running the show for the past few years, and replace them by greenhorns fresh from the States. That will certainly get the surge off to a flying start (a flying something, anyway).
The 4,000 troops are being
The 4,000 troops are being withdrawn in order to be available for Tony's farewell victory parade
http://www.townhall.com/ Dunn
http://www.townhall.com/
Dunno who posted this link but I have sadly learned much about American psychology, or rather lack of any sort of introspective critical abilities..
e.g. Bad. Kill.
No one seems to have noticed
No one seems to have noticed Margaret Bucketts remarks that none of our troops will be brought home. So if as many as 100 are home by the end of May, I will eat my hat. (joyfully of course)
Strategy ? Not known at this
Strategy ? Not known at this address.
Ive just read Bushs' speech regarding the increased deployment. I was rather interested in one of the passages outlining justification of the surge:
Our past efforts to secure Baghdad failed for two principal reasons: There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents. And there were too many restrictions on the troops we did have. Our military commanders reviewed the new Iraqi plan to ensure that it addressed these mistakes. They report that it does. They also report that this plan can work.
So, let me see if I get this straight, as far as he is concerned there are not enough troops there and those that are are in some way restricted? It only takes a little effort to see how restricted they feel they are.