Bombs kill at least 80 people in Iraq

AP ^ | 2/12/07 | BUSHRA JUHI

[Steve_Seattle]

"But I think Democrats need to see that their Democratic President Truman sent Americans to Korea, to "fight bandits" * in a "police action," and, as a result, 30,000 Americans died while he was president."

They will remain uninformed as long as people like Jimmy Carter write books claiming that the U.S. has never before attacked a country that didn't attack us first, and goes uncorrected by the MSM, and wins awards for writing patently false history.

[TexKat]

House Democrats Unveil Resolution Opposing Iraq Plans

[TexKat]

As US focuses on Iraq turmoil, will it miss the bigger picture?

Some experts say American policymakers are confusing tactical adjustments with a strategy.

[TexKat]

Baghdadis invest hope in new security plan

Most on the street see the problem in sectarian terms, but think the US plan can help restore calm.

[syriacus]

They will remain uninformed as long as people like Jimmy Carter write books claiming that the U.S. has never before attacked a country that didn't attack us first, and goes uncorrected by the MSM, and wins awards for writing patently false history.

True.

[TexKat]

General Petraeus Addresses Troops Upon Taking Command

By Steven Donald Smith

Courtesy of American Forces Press Service

2/12/07, Camp Victory, Iraq — Iraq is at a pivotal crossroad, the new commander of Multinational Force Iraq said in a letter to the command's troops today.

Army GEN David H. Petraeus took command of all U.S. forces in Iraq today during a ceremony at Camp Victory, in Baghdad. "The stakes could not be higher," he wrote in a letter addressed to Multinational Force Iraq troops and civilians. "Our task is crucial."

Security is the essential component needed for Iraqis to build a better future, and U.S. troops will help them achieve that goal, GEN Petraeus wrote. "Shoulder-to-shoulder with our Iraqi comrades, we will conduct a pivotal campaign to improve security for the Iraqi people," he stated in the letter. "The hopes of the Iraqi people and the coalition countries are with us."

GEN Petraeus said Iraq's enemies would continue to try to undermine U.S. and Iraqi efforts to rebuild the country.

"Together with our Iraqi partners, we must defeat those who oppose the new Iraq," he said. "We cannot allow mass murderers to hold the initiative. We must strike them relentlessly."

There will be difficult times in the coming months, the General said. "But hard is not hopeless, and we must remain steadfast in our effort to help improve security for the Iraqi people," he said.

In the end, it is up to the Iraqis to decide the outcome in their country, GEN Petraeus said, but he expressed confidence U.S. troops will continue to fight with skill and courage. "We will face down the terrorists, insurgents, and criminals who slaughter the innocent," he wrote.

The General also expressed his appreciation for the sacrifices made by U.S. troops and their families.

"I appreciate your sacrifices and those of your families," he said. "Now, more than ever, your commitment to service and your skill can make the different between victory and defeat in a very tough mission."

Army GEN George W. Casey Jr., the man GEN Petraeus replaced in Iraq, is slated to become the next Army Chief of Staff.

[TexKat]

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., gestures during an interview in Richmond, Va., Monday, Feb. 12, 2007. McCain, a possible Presidential canidate, said he fears an offensive by Iraqi insurgents similar to the Tet Offensive by the Viet Cong. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

McCain fears 'Tet Offensive' in Iraq

By BOB LEWIS, Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain (news, bio, voting record) said Monday he fears an offensive by Iraqi insurgents similar to the Tet offensive by the Viet Cong that sent U.S. casualties soaring in Vietnam nearly 40 years ago.

McCain, a Vietnam war veteran who spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war, said in an interview with The Associated Press that it's not the U.S. presence in Iraq that upsets voters but rather the number of casualties and the possibility those numbers could rise.

The U.S. death toll is more than 3,100 in the nearly four-year-old war.

In the GOP presidential field, McCain is one of the strongest proponents of President Bush's plan to increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq by some 21,500.

"By the way, a lot of us are also very concerned about the possibility of a, quote, 'Tet Offensive.' You know, some large-scale tact that could then switch American public opinion the way that the Tet Offensive did," the Arizona senator said.

Last month, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that 62 percent said the United States made a mistake in going to war in Iraq.

McCain made his comment in explaining why he did not believe the Bush administration should set a date by which it should deem Bush's troop increase a success or a failure.

"I think that it should be publicly open-ended because I think that if you set a date, that there's every possibility that the insurgents would just lay back and wait until we leave," McCain said.

Tet, a massive invasion in 1968 of South Vietnam by Communist North Vietnamese, inflicted enormous losses on U.S. and South Vietnamese troops and is regarded as a point where public sentiment turned sharply against the war.

McCain was in Richmond to address about 40 Virginia Republicans who could potentially support his 2008 presidential bid.

McCain said that while U.S. intelligence in the Middle East is better than the flawed information available before the 2003 Iraq invasion, it's still lacking as Iran continues its efforts to process nuclear material.

He said he has no doubt Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

"It is in my opinion that it is not whether they are developing nuclear weapons but when, and there is where opinion varies. Some say as short a time as two years, others as many as 10," McCain said.

[Marine_Uncle]

Clearly this stuff will not stop by some magic formula nor by just killing goons.
The IG must over the next few terms clearly show the nation of Iraq that all Iraqi can live in peace and future prosperity and that all forms of religious (cult of Islam) division that forments the criminal activities must be stopped.
Only when no Iraqi is willing to harbor any terroist in their various skins, will this stuff come to a stop.

[Marine_Uncle]

The L/MSM are going to have a field day with this one, as usual.