Ba'athist's Back?
The Washington Post is reporting..and so is everyone else :) that U.S. marines have pulled out of parts of Fallujah. This is certainly welcome news for all parties.
One of the odder parts of a truly odd situation is the likely deal to be a deal struck between the U.S. - and, well the U.S.
I think we can drop all pretense of any effective Iraqi role in this 'negotiation process.'
According to the WaPo article:
Meanwhile, a U.S. marine officer - speaking on condition of anonymity - reportedly told the AP that the new force would not contain any "hardcore" 'insurgents' or militant Islamists currently within Fallujah. Just how we are going to determine this is a mystery to this casual observer.
Essentially, the talks(?) are ongoing, and success or failure of the proposed shift in military forces could still hinge on whether or not the 'insugents' guilty of the March 31 execution style murder and subsequent gruesome display of the four American contract workers are handed over to the U.S.
Do we know that the Iraqis know just who these thugs are? I have nary a clue.
It would have been a lot simpler if our government had told us the real story about Iraq's weapons capabilities, lack of ties with al-Qaeda, and lack of support for international terrorism. Then we wouldn't be in this mess.
Who thought that a year after Bush proclaimed "Mission Accomplished" that we would be ceding authority in a major Iraqi city to the dreaded Republican Guard and various other once despised 'opponents?'
Certainly not me.
At least 736 U.S service personnel killed, perhaps 15,000 Iraqis and at least a half-trillion dollar financial commitment to reinstall some of the very people we once feared. It is a crazy world.
I think that anyone with a working knowledge of the publicly available facts, and sans any galloping insanity, would agree that Iraq was, and is, a blunder of the most epic of proportions.
There is much more at WaPo.
One of the odder parts of a truly odd situation is the likely deal to be a deal struck between the U.S. - and, well the U.S.
I think we can drop all pretense of any effective Iraqi role in this 'negotiation process.'
According to the WaPo article:
"Fallujah residents have chosen Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh to form and lead a unit that will be in charge of protecting the city," said Iraqi Brig. Gen. Shakir al-Janabi, who expects to be part of the new force. "Our force will handle the security issue today in cooperation with Iraqi police."So, we find ourselves in the unenviable position of likely ceding Fallujah to an indigenous force comprised of former - and remember, terribly feared - members of The Republican Guard, as well as former Iraqi police and soldiers including gunmen who fought against the us(the U.S.).
Meanwhile, a U.S. marine officer - speaking on condition of anonymity - reportedly told the AP that the new force would not contain any "hardcore" 'insurgents' or militant Islamists currently within Fallujah. Just how we are going to determine this is a mystery to this casual observer.
Essentially, the talks(?) are ongoing, and success or failure of the proposed shift in military forces could still hinge on whether or not the 'insugents' guilty of the March 31 execution style murder and subsequent gruesome display of the four American contract workers are handed over to the U.S.
Do we know that the Iraqis know just who these thugs are? I have nary a clue.
It would have been a lot simpler if our government had told us the real story about Iraq's weapons capabilities, lack of ties with al-Qaeda, and lack of support for international terrorism. Then we wouldn't be in this mess.
Who thought that a year after Bush proclaimed "Mission Accomplished" that we would be ceding authority in a major Iraqi city to the dreaded Republican Guard and various other once despised 'opponents?'
Certainly not me.
At least 736 U.S service personnel killed, perhaps 15,000 Iraqis and at least a half-trillion dollar financial commitment to reinstall some of the very people we once feared. It is a crazy world.
I think that anyone with a working knowledge of the publicly available facts, and sans any galloping insanity, would agree that Iraq was, and is, a blunder of the most epic of proportions.
There is much more at WaPo.
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