http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080930/wl_time/disbandingthesunnipatrolsabacklashbrewing

The last time the U.S. was involved in disbanding large Iraqi military units, things didn't go well - the fateful 2003 decision to dissolve the Iraqi Army proved to be a key strategic blunder (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/time/wl_time/storytext/disbandingthesunnipatrolsabacklashbrewing/29310227/SIG=121g2vhbu/*http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994509,00.html) that gave a massive boost to the insurgency. This week, the U.S. will try again, transferring control of 54,000 of the 100,000-strong largely Sunni citizen patrols known as the Sons of Iraq (SOI) to a Shi'ite-led government many of them view with suspicion. The rest will remain on the U.S payroll, as part of a phased transfer.

Another blunder? Needed to happen? Too early? Too Late? Opinions please

Sons of Iraq is a really cool name though....... would have been a good EQ guild :(

It is because we have succeeded in Iraq...everyone can come home now!

Sons of Iraq is a really cool name though....... would have been a good EQ guild :(

I am reminded of a small movie by a couple of my favorite comic-actors with a similar name, "Sons of the Desert".

While consolidating various armed factions under a nominal coalition government is conceptually "good thing," I can't help but wonder just how much the SoI is getting bribed by US military authorities to play nice and whether that will change.

(The Surge more accurately describes the surge in "facilitating payments" we made to numerous political groups to stop shooting each other. Militant groups stockpiling money and waiting for an inevitable collapse of their puppet government can't possibly go wrong, right?)