Iraq's prime minister was misunderstood when he said the Americans could leave "any time they want"

How to hell do you misunderstand a statement like that?

It is pretty straight forward to me also, but Washington had to put a spin on it to keep the disseretions done and the American people totally confused. Can anyone say---propaganda?

I bet when the Bush team heard that they called him to say shut to hell up. You're going to ruin our plan.

Yep, and you ask why/ I is called a lot of pracice! dumbass!


BAGHDAD — The U.S. military has noted a "significant improvement" in the aim of attackers firing rockets and mortars into the heavily fortified Green Zone in the past three months that it has linked to training in Iran, a top commander said today.

Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the top day-to-day U.S. commander in Iraq, also expressed cautious optimism over a decline in the number of American troops killed this month. At least 60 U.S. troops have died so far in July after the death toll topped 100 for the previous three months, according to an Associated Press tally based on military statements.


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Since he said they could go it alone, the violence has increased. It makes his statements a bit hollow to me.

I asked the question in my blog, awhile back; the US can take an 18 yr old and in 6 months, mire or less, can turn him lose with a gun and he is ready to go. But why does it take 5 yrs to train an Iraqi to do the same thing?

In the beginbning of this fiasco, Paul Bremer whacked the Iraqi army and police, which IMO, was about as stupid as his boss and now they want these people back in the PD and the army.


BAGHDAD, July 27 -- The U.S. military in Iraq is expanding its efforts to recruit and fund armed Sunni residents as local protection forces in order to improve security and promote reconciliation at the neighborhood level, according to senior U.S. commanders.

Within the past month, the U.S. military command in charge of day-to-day operations in Iraq ordered subordinate units to step up creation of the local forces, authorizing commanders to pay the fighters with U.S. emergency funds, reward payments and other monies.

The initiative, which extends to all Iraqis, represents at least a temporary departure from the established U.S. policy of building formally trained security forces under the control of the Iraqi government. It also provokes fears within the Shiite-led government that the new Sunni groups will use their arms against it, commanders said.


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Do you think that this mprob could have been avoided?

They are pushing for re-bathification too.

Kind of ironic. These street thugs will bear arms for their neighborhood but not for their country. I bet this will come back to haunt us.

In his rush to do away with all things Saddam, Bush anbd Bremer are solely responsible for the crap. They would not need re-Baathification if they had usewd their heads.

It seems they aren't making any progress in ending sectarian violence despite all the speeches they give about progress. That type of violence is something we can't control with military force.

This is the good news from Iraq, tribals are setting up to fight AQ, but if they are successful, what will be the next move?


On Saturday, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, credited the strategy with beginning to turn around an insurgent haven as he toured the region of dusty villages, citrus plantations, fish farms and palm groves near Taji, about 12 miles north of the capital.

But the Shiite-led government, which has been under intense U.S. pressure to dismantle Shiite militias, has complained that the policy legitimizes what they regard as the Sunni equivalent.

"They solve one problem by creating another," said Sami Askari, an aide to Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and member of his Islamic Dawa Party. "This is a seed for civil war."

Maliki wants to screen the Sunni volunteers before they are allowed to carry weapons, and he wants them incorporated into security forces under the government's control, Askari said.


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Maliki is not happy that the US is trusting the Sunni, this is gonna play out messy.

This approach may help with fighting AQ, but the biggest problem in Iraq is sectarian violence. This arming of militias may make that problem worse.IMO.

If and when they eliminate AQ--who would be the next logical opponent for them?

From listening to a few stories coming out of Iraq AQ isn't that big of a threat to start with in Iraq. It's the militias and sectarian violence that fuels violence.

Yep I read some place that there were a bout 500-1000 actual AQ members in Iraq. Maliki is upset that his nemesis the sunni are being armed by the US. This whole thing is gonna get dicey here and soon.