[cynicom]

Talk, talk, talk, spin , spin, spin.

[Eurotwit]

ping

[RightWingMama]

bump for later

[No Blue States]

Abizaid said all military options remained "on the table."

As many have previously stated,this could save some lives on our side if they (Iraqis)can do the work.

I appreciate your posts and attitude Eurotwit.

[el_texicano]

Just got this note from a friend and it included some interesting quote from the Koran...

No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated it than Iraq.

And also...

This is something to think about! Since America is typically represented by an eagle. Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages... The following verse is from the Quran, (the Islamic Bible)

Quran (9:11) -- For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace.

(Note the verse number...)

[mikegi]

Iraqis cheered and waved flags as Saleh entered the city Friday ...

Which, of course, means he is one of the enemy.

[oceanview]

Zarqawi is not in fallujah. if he were, if any of the intel or intercepts or drone video surveillance had shown that, we would have hit it much harder. also, we've had fallujah cordoned off and bottled up for weeks now - yet the terror attacks continue. Zarqawi isn't there.

[Gefreiter]

So let's take stock:

-After a siege of about a month, the city never was taken.

-A general under Saddam is taking charge of the armed forces within the city, a city that benefitted greatly under Saddam's regime. He showed for his first day on the job wearing his old uniform.

-The people who have been fighting the Marines all month will now be patrolling the streets freely and openly and will be responsible for the city's security.

-Those who mutiliated and killed the contractors last month- dozens and dozens of them- are still free.

-Their hero, Al-Sadr, is still in Najaf talking sh*t.

-The Marines are leaving the field.

Now, how all that doesn't tally up to victory for the armed faction in Fallujah, I've no idea.

Don't get me wrong, I know the USMC was not defeated in the field, and I know it's not the Corps' decision but the CinC's.

But if we're going to talk about perceptions and winning people's hearts and minds, which is really the point of this entire conflict, this Fallujah operation is a defeat.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I watching the briefing on C-SPAN , he had some great high quality charts, gave high level comments, we need to hear from the guys actually running the show in Fallujah to know what is going on. The Press had the callers on C-SPAN stirred up pretty well.

[shield]

bmp

[SevenDaysInMay]

Our Marines rest while the islamists disperse among the Saddamnites to rearm. Fallajagrad was not going well.

Peace will not break out because islam is islam, wherein treacherous winner takes all.

Our Marine riflemen were killing too many with well aimed bullets. Mullahs were demanding that our snipers quit their erffective work as it could not be good video for All Jazz Era broadcast. Clerics prefer our use of cannon and bombs damaging homes and mosques.

Islamists have engaged us in this war of annihilation. If we do not destroy them, our children's children shall pay forever.

[ZULU]

Abu Zaid had it right.

There WAS an opportunity in Fallujah. An opportunity to demonstrate Yankee Justice and show the other fanatics in Iraq what they would face if they tried the same thing.

Unfortunately the only current opportunity is the lesson that terrorists, insurgents, Baathists, etc, can use civilians as shields and civilian population centers and mosques as sites to conduct effective anti-American propganada exercises with impugnity.

[Amerigomag]

After all the effort, material and lives lost to drive, isolate and then trap these bastards in the Golan district and now we are going to walk away and let them redistribute themselves back into the rest of the city.

What a waste!

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

We lost. We shouldn't have talked so big if we weren't really going to back it up. The city of Fallujah should have already been under our control. This is starting to look like Vietnam in the sense that we are being restrained for political purposes.

[KQQL]

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Leader of the Fallujah Protective Army Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iraq%20Saleh

[KQQL]

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Leader of the Fallujah Protective Army Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh

Photo Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Iraq%20Saleh