It is clear that most of the Iraqi people wnt us there and are glad we have liberated them.
In the process of doing so, we soundly defeated the Iraqi armed forces and they all know that.
However, in the Sunni triangle, and particularly in this city, there are large numbers of people who did not surrender, but blended back into a population that was much more supportive of Saddam because he empowered them over the rest of the millions of Iraqis.
In these areas, we are going to have to take harsher measures IMHO to put down the insurgency and do things more akin to our defeat of similar fascist/totalitarian supporting populations like we did in World War II. The Marines are the best instrument to accomplish this IMHO. We should employ these tactics (total martial law, rounding up of insurgents through large scale operations which in effect take any male individual into custody above the age of 14 who so much as looks suspicious, brutal suppression of any resistance, internment camps and heavy interrogation of those we take into custody, execution of any individuals founding to have taken part in any such atrocities, and a wholesale reorganization of all civil authority in the area) after giving them ample opportunity to take care of the issue themselves, or to disburse. And, in these areas, particularly after this ruthless attack on our people and the desecration of their bodies, it is we who should do it IMHO, before the turnover of power to the Iraqis in order to finish the job of providing a safe and stable environment for that free Iraq.
I do not believe an Iraqi government, which is representative of the majority of the feelings of the rest of the Iraqis, will allow the Baathist strongholds, where a group who is doing everything in its power to thwart and destroy any free Iraq, to exist after the takeover. I believe they will attempt to crush them ruthlessly because they, above all people know what they represent and have done.
Perhaps it would be better if we let them do it themselves...but it would be very dangerous for that new government and could lead to a more general civil war, or a greater involvement of outside sources.
We shall see.
Best Fregards.
Oh, I soundly agree with that and suspect that something along those lines is underway as we speak.
It's the knee-jerk "nuke 'em" and "drop a dasiycutter in the middle of town" crowd on here I just don't get.
:)