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It would be a big help if enemy leaders (like Sadr) who call for terrorist attacks died real soon after. Every healthy day for them after they call for the death of our troops is a victory for their side. We should have the means and the will to pinpoint target these firebrands, I would tend toward the Yassin method: a supersonic missile from the sky they can't see or hear coming.

This is far preferable to me to putting platoons of Marines into the concrete rabbit warren of Iraqi slums, looking for unrecognizable adversaries, and facing IEDs in every alley and courtyard.

I agree regarding types like that Mullah, however I think the delay could be because we don't want to rile the Shias, and because of the Iranian connections. I can understand to a certain degree there's a coin flip involved regarding him.

Want to see him go. He's becoming a major problem already in terms of a public face within Iraq, the Muslim world and over here. The last thing we need is the evil chaos of AQ and Iranian madness to find a safe harbor in such close quarters.

I was wondering about drone and satellite technology and the means to pinpoint more obscure targets (such as groups of individuals). Targeted missle attacks would sound like a viable option then, no?

If memory serves, the Marines have been training for this kind of urban combat since before Kosovo. Tin-foilers were thinking they were for domestic use, and others thought they were for a potential ground war (ha, ha--not with Clinton and Clark) in Yugoslavia. I think, therefore, there is an advantage in using ground forces in this situation, if my memory and assumptions are correct.

This I know I'll be getting some disagreements on--I support the idea of ground in this situation because the savage nature of the incidient begs for this kind of response. I support the idea of some creep walking out of morning prayers and be turned into a grease stain before he opens the door of his Mercedes, however I truly think we need to strike fear and respect in the hearts of the enemy.

I'm confident the Marines will do that. Again, I'm treading somewhat on the ground of emotions here.