[Happy2BMe]

"NBC News has learned that U.S. forces now in northern Iraq are working with the Kurds to improve airstrips."

Did anyone catch that?

The U.S. ALREADY INVADED IRAQ!

[No Truce With Kings]

"The U.S. ALREADY INVADED IRAQ!"

Well, duh! Those reports have been out for only the last three weeks. And your point is?

[American Soldier]

Yes...that is the reason why I don't understand people's criticism of Bush for moving too slow... He is paving the road for the invasion while pretending there is hope for negotiations to work. He is not actually waiting for U.N. approval, he is just acting like he is doing so while we get all of the chess pieces on the board. After all, two of the heavy divisions we would probably want in theatre aren't even there yet.

We are also using a lot more troops that people thought before, suggesting there may be more conventional fighting than some people thought... Recall that some analysts said that along with an Iraqi insurrection, 200,000 U.S. troops might be able to do the job. Now it looks like we'll have more like 300,000-400,000 in theatre when things kick off, perhaps due to intel reports that many Iraqis would fail to support the regime but might also be too scared to actively fight against it until the U.S. troops are nearly upon them...