The Iraqi Upturn

Washington Post ^ | 1 June 2008 | Editorial Staff

[shrinkermd]

Don't look now, but the U.S.-backed government and army may be winning the war.[From the Washington Post!]

THERE'S BEEN a relative lull in news coverage and debate about Iraq in recent weeks -- which is odd, because May could turn out to have been one of the most important months of the war. While Washington's attention has been fixed elsewhere, military analysts have watched with astonishment as the Iraqi government and army have gained control for the first time of the port city of Basra and the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, routing the Shiite militias that have ruled them for years and sending key militants scurrying to Iran. At the same time, Iraqi and U.S. forces have pushed forward with a long-promised offensive in Mosul, the last urban refuge of al-Qaeda. So many of its leaders have now been captured or killed that U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, renowned for his cautious assessments, said that the terrorists have "never been closer to defeat than they are now."

Iraq passed a turning point last fall when the U.S. counterinsurgency campaign launched in early 2007 produced a dramatic drop in violence and quelled the incipient sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites. Now, another tipping point may be near, one that sees the Iraqi government and army restoring order in almost all of the country, dispersing both rival militias and the Iranian-trained "special groups" that have used them as cover to wage war against Americans.

...Still, the rapidly improving conditions should allow U.S. commanders to make some welcome adjustments -- and it ought to mandate an already-overdue rethinking by the "this-war-is-lost" caucus in Washington, including Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

[rlmorel]

We need to be sure we carry this thing through, as long as it takes. If we leave even a smidgen too early, the entire thing can be undone in day.

I don’t want to hijack this thread (and if you want to discuss that in particular, I suggest you go there) at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2023803/posts
but it is a good idea to keep this in mind. On this thread, there was heated discussion about the Marine who relieved of duty because he was distributing coins with a Christian religious theme while on patrol.

The issue that I had with this, beyond the danger it puts guy’s fellow Marines in, is that something like this could blow up into a major thing which could put all accomplished to this point in peril.

I could see a scenario where a hothead has his little girl bring home a coin she got from this Marine with the Lord’s Prayer on it, he gets everyone riled up and runs out with his AK47 and shoots some Marines, and in the pursuit, we kill innocent civilians who just happen to be in the way. An accident, whatever. That thing could set off protests and violence that could engulf the country, which is EXACTLY AND PRECISELY what the Islamofascists want.

We need to ensure we not only stay long enough to get the job done, but also to get it done right. This is not by any means an exact science, and there have been plenty of problems, but we can devote our energies to ensuring it is done as best as we can contrive.

[shield]

bfl

[Allegra]

I'm not at all surprised by the news. I've been watching from the 50-yardline and predicting success (while swatting away numerous naysayers) for a few years now.

But I am very surprised at the source of this particular information. :-D

[elhombrelibre]

We've been among the tiny minority that knew the obvious. In time, everyone will agree that we were right, that those who fought this war were right, and that strangely enough al Qaeda was too violent, aberrant, sick, and weird to gain support among Iraqis. Bottom line: We won.

[doug from upland]

It’s easy to be an armchair general, but we have known for a long time the role Iran was playing. Something should have been done to the mullahs three or four years ago. Now, they are getting ever so close to a nuke.

Any time we verified munitions or an IED that killed an American soldier and could be traced to Iran, Mr. Cruise Missile should have taken out some command and control buildings.

[pandemoniumreigns]

Ive been having a discussion with my older brother on this for a couple months now about how we have been kicking Aqi ass and how the Iraqi army has been standing up and Maliki finally taking the bull by the horns.

He however would hear none of it because I was getting my info from the internet (which he totaly distrusts) and was hearing nothing of any success from his msm nprabccnnnbccbs sources.

Mabe now some of the good news will finally start to make “The news” and “the public” will hear the truth..

[MinorityRepublican]

Don’t forget we have killed (tens) thousands of Crazy Arabs. The rest that are alive are now wanting to rebuild their society. The similiar thing happened to the Germans and the Japanese.

[Tennessean4Bush]

This is not the real website of the Washington Post. There is absolutely no way on God’s green earth that their Editorial Staff would write this article.

[Tennessean4Bush]

Gen. Petraeus pointed out that attacks in Iraq hit a four-year low in mid-May and that Iraqi forces were finally taking the lead in combat and on multiple fronts at once -- something that was inconceivable a year ago. As a result the Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki now has "unparalleled" public support, as Gen. Petraeus put it, and U.S. casualties are dropping sharply.

The "money" quote if there ever was one.

[SandRat]

Just planning ahead; New Bumper Sticker -

Surge America Forward
Petraeus in 2012

[Doe Eyes]

Excellent news. This proves we are well on the way to completing the mission and bringing our troops home.

[Tennessean4Bush]

Is it too late for 2008?

[SandRat]

We need him to finish the Taliban/al Qaeda issue first so IMHO yes.

[shrinkermd]

Great Post. I would appreciate the sources for murders DC and Iraq. Thanks.

[PGR88]

DC murder rate taken from 2008 number, on Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/31/AR2008053102342.html

DC (not metro DC) population: US Census

Iraq death rate: Was released recently by Iraqi Govt and picked up by AP, Rueters, etc..
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080601/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_deaths_down

Iraq population: Googled it, various sources

Rgds
PGR

[Marine_Uncle]

These clowns follow thing closely. They just have not permitted their reporters, editors to write good stuff till now. They know McCain is going to be stacked with stuff to say in the next few months and the public will hear it all during the debates. So it is time to get on the winning side so that their remaining readership does not see them as one sided.
Their snakes in the grass, even when they report honest accurate news. It must be killing them to let this stuff start coming out. They would love to see the boy from Indonesia win the POTUS and royally screw things up. But they probably sense he just may get trounced in the fall election. So time to loosen up is now upon them.

[neverdem]

BTTT!