Posted on 05/21/2008 10:57:27 AM PDT by tobyhill
BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces rolled unopposed through the huge Shiite enclave of Sadr City on Tuesday, a dramatic turnaround from the bitter fighting that has plagued the Baghdad neighborhood for two months, and a qualified success for Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
As it did in the southern city of Basra last month, the Iraqi government advanced its goal of establishing sovereignty and curtailing the powers of the militias.
This was a hopeful accomplishment, but one that came with caveats: In both cities, the militias eventually melted away in the face of Iraqi troops backed by American firepower. Thus nobody can say just where the militias might re-emerge or when Iraqi and American forces might need to fight them again.
By late Tuesday, Iraqi troops had pushed deep into the district and set up positions around hospitals and police stations, which the Iraqi government was seeking to bring under its control.
The main military question now is whether Iraqi soldiers can solidify their hold over Sadr City in the coming days. And the main political one is whether the Maliki government will cement its gains by carrying out its long-promised, multimillion-dollar program of economic assistance and job creation to win over a still wary population and erode the militias’ base of support.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
But Senator Reid said the war was lost a year ago this summer.
I suspect the NYT will begin claiming a success more often, so that once Obama or McCain becomes President, they can start the drumbeat for an immediate withdrawal based on that “success”.
and he also said that Bush is a loser
NYT grudingly admits defeat for terrorists in Iraq ping.
Yep. They figure they took down President Bush all they can before this election so they will try for the truth to pump their numbers up again.
They no longer need to blame Bush for the war, and they don't want the need to win the war to be a reason for people to vote for McCain.
If the war is won, and the Iraqi's can take over, then the need for a strong commander in chief is not nearly as strong for a lot of swing voters.
McCain's military background is his main strength.
Heck if a lot of conservatives believe that the war isn't a major issue, they are going to be a lot more comfortable staying home rather than holding their nose and voting for McCain.
When the NYT has to report good news out of Iraq, it means it's going great. :-D
U.S. fatalities in Iraq are now down to their lowest levels of the entire war, a strikingly undeniable sign that things in Iraq are “better” as well as that the Iraqis themselves are shouldering more of their own security burden than at any earlier time.
In related news: Hussain Obama got thumped in KY!
Pray for W and Our Troops
PITY that the DIMs don't have the brains to "flush him".
free dixie,sw
Nancy’s going to be like that last Japanese soldieer after WWII on an isolated island not giving up because she didn’t get the word, except she got the word and wasn’t emotionally and politically willing to accept defeat for anyone but Bush.
That’s a good way of putting it. Perhaps she carries a knife for the final act. She certainly is a real bozo by any measure.
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