It is not the surge that will prevail. It's the fact that we are taking the gloves off.
And the fact that people like you won't have to deal in any event with the mess that results, gloves on or off.
All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting. ---George Orwell
"It is not the surge that will prevail. It's the fact that we are taking the gloves off."
Speaking of the gloves being taken of....
U.S. Forces Raid Iranian Consulate in Iraq, Detain 5 (Update2)
By Marc Wolfensberger and Robin Stringer
Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. forces in Iraq raided Iran's consulate in the northern city of Arbil and detained five staff members, a state-run Iranian news service said.
The U.S. soldiers disarmed guards and broke open the consulate's gate before seizing documents and computers during the operation, which took place today at about 5 a.m. local time, the Islamic Republic News Agency said. There was no immediate information on whether any of those detained are diplomats.
The raid follows a warning yesterday to Iran and Syria from President George W. Bush in his address to the American people on a new strategy for Iraq. Bush accused Iran and Syria of aiding the movement of ``terrorists and insurgents'' in and out of Iraq and said the U.S. will ``seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies.''
Coalition forces arrested six people during ``routine security operations'' in the Arbil area, the U.S. military said in an e-mailed statement. The military didn't confirm that the consulate was raided and didn't say whether any of those detained were Iranians.
The operation was ``part of an ongoing effort by coalition forces targeting individuals involved in activities aimed at the killing of Iraqi citizens and coalition forces,'' the military said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a90DLQrWr.YY&refer=us
And....
Deal reached to keep weapons off streets: Sadr City mayor
By Qassim Abdul-Zahra
Canadian Press
Thursday, January 25, 2007
BAGHDAD - The mayor of Baghdad's Sadr City says he has reached an agreement with political and religious groups to keep weapons off the streets of the heavily populated Shiite militia stronghold and has presented the deal to U.S. and Iraqi government officials in an apparent attempt to avoid a military crackdown on the area.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=39884a3b-33fa-4d3d-a6f3-ed0402d08a83&k=81586
Make Baghdad a NO DRIVE ZONE for 4 weeks.
Treat it like crossing a border, search every truck, every car, and let them strip if necessary to check for bomb vests.
Many Checkpoints, Many Iraqi Police at the check points under supervision of the the US Army.
Plus, the house to house search, in the problem neighborhoods.
So true. I don't know why people can't see this. The "surge" is a cover for a change in tactics and rules of engagement. It's also a good one, considering the number of Democrats on the record for calling for more troops.