http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071112/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

BAGHDAD - Rocket and mortar attacks in Iraq have decreased to their lowest levels in more than 21 months, the U.S. military said Monday. In the capital, Iraqi officials said a taxi driver was shot dead by a private security guard hired to protect U.S. convoys.

I found this part of the story interesting....

Locals previously lukewarm to the presence of U.S. soldiers patrol alongside them. And a historic lane on the eastern banks of the Tigris is set to reopen later this year, lined with seafood restaurants and an art gallery.


Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of U.S. forces south of the capital, said Sunday he believed the decrease would hold, because of what he called a "groundswell" of support from regular Iraqis.

"If we didn't have so many people coming forward to help, I'd think this is a flash in the pan. But that's just not the case," Lynch told a small group of reporters over lunch in the Green Zone.

He attributed the sharp drop in attacks to the American troop buildup, the setup of small outposts at the heart of Iraqi communities, and help from thousands of locals fed up with al-Qaida and other extremists. "These people — Sunni and Shiite — are saying, `I've had enough,'" Lynch said.

Success pretty much depends on Iraqi political reconcilation from here on. Good news so far indeed though.

Yay, seafood shops open again.

Doesn't matter that a thousand people are dying a month still and that American control doesn't extend beyond the square foot they occupy. Things MUST be getting better.

Indeed, statistically, and out of sheer fucking stupidity, things CANNOT actually get worst. They can only get better. And yet they still just go from worse to worse.

There is no good from the Iraqi occupation, can never be, and will never be. Come on - stop grasping. It's embarassing.

Halo, that rambling rant made absolutely no sense.


Doesn't matter that a thousand people are dying a month still and that American control doesn't extend beyond the square foot they occupy. Things MUST be getting better.

Source?

Indeed, statistically, and out of sheer fucking stupidity, things CANNOT actually get worst. They can only get better. And yet they still just go from worse to worse.

So it's getting better? Or getting worse? Or it's better things are getting worse? Or it's worse things are getting better?

There is no good from the Iraqi occupation, can never be, and will never be. Come on - stop grasping. It's embarassing.

You are correct, that nothing good can come from the occupation of Iraq. That's why it's good to see the people deciding enough is enough, and participating in the policing of the country.
The drop in the amount of attacks points to that.
If you have an alternative explanation as to why the number of attacks are down, I'm eager to hear it.

Petraeus talking to Sadr's (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,310697,00.html) deputies, discussing the common target of splinter groups allegedly funded by Iran.

*Bump*

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

One of the largest bombing campaigns of the war destroyed extremists' "defensive belts" south of Baghdad, allowing American soldiers to push into areas where they have not been in years, a top commander said Friday.

I find this "Awakening Council" idea a stroke of brilliance....


As U.S. and Iraqi ground forces move through areas to push out insurgents, Ferrell said members of the so-called "Awakening Council" movement — mostly Sunni fighters who switched sides to join in the fight against al-Qaida — will be relied upon to stabilize the region and maintain security.

Some more progress.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080112/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

BAGHDAD - Iraq's parliament adopted legislation Saturday on the reinstatement of thousands of former supporters of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to government jobs, a key benchmark sought by the United States as a step toward easing sectarian tensions.

Real progress would be nice. Bush a year ago (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070110-7.html):To establish its authority, the Iraqi government plans to take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's provinces by November. To give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country's economy, Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis. To show that it is committed to delivering a better life, the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion of its own money on reconstruction and infrastructure projects that will create new jobs. To empower local leaders, Iraqis plan to hold provincial elections later this year. And to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nation's political life, the government will reform de-Baathification laws, and establish a fair process for considering amendments to Iraq's constitution.Better late than never on the de-Baathification I suppose.

Real progress would be nice.Yes, ignore it and it didn't happen.

Please, the thread title itself is testament to just how poorly our foray has gone. Freedom on the march! A corner turned! A sign of progress! Just another 3-6 months! Just another 3-6 months! We need just another 3-6 months!

Progress normally isn't defined as catching up to where you were predicted to be 2-3 years ago, nor finally undoing the results of your own decision making. The simple passage of this law (by a thin quorum (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/24692.html) of the pariliament) is a start, but all sides recognize that implementation is the real key, and could have undesirable consequences (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/12/AR2008011201122_2.html?hpid=topnews).The new measure could lead to a new purge of members of the current Iraqi government, [de-Baathification commission spokesman] Lami said, including about 7,000 officers in the Interior Ministry. Even influential Iraqi security force officials who used to be Baathists could face removal.

"The commander of the Baghdad security plan and his assistants, according to the new law, they should retire," he said.
More (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/world/middleeast/13iraq.html?hp=&pagewanted=all):And Mohammed al-Diani, a member of the hard-line Sunni National Dialogue Council, said the measure would still restrict “many scientists, professors, doctors, engineers and other competent men.”

Some Shiite officials praised the legislation because they said strong curbs on former Baathists would remain in place. “They will not be allowed to get important posts or take part in the political process,” said Bahaa al-Araji, a leader of the bloc of Shiite lawmakers loyal to the cleric Moktada al-Sadr, describing the more senior former party members. “There will be many restrictions.”
This version of the law found support from Sadr's hard-liners (who opposed it previously) and lacked support from many Sunnis who originally demanded something along these lines. It's a little early for celebration or witless snark.

Hurray! WE WIN!

King Pyrrhus would be very proud!

It's a little early for celebration or witless snark.

It's a thread on Iraq. Of course it's appropriate to post witless snark.

Hurray! WE WIN!

King Pyrrhus would be very proud!

That was quite witty tyvm. It was, dare I say, Miller-esque.

You, Sir, are no Dennis Miller...

He would have said something along the lines of, "Hurray! WE WIN! the next time we go to war, don't give a specific reason for the war that the left can seize upon and later flog us with it ad nauseam, just do it. Remember, the first rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club."*

My comparison was in the context of a semi obscure reference that 80%+ of this board would'nt get, yet probably should.

Not in Miller's latest delve into tentacle embrace of Strauss-ean Neo-Conservatism.

http://www.stuffoflegend.com/Ambar/02Characters/OldOnes/DeepOnes/IllithidMindFlay/GalleryIllithid/illithid_mindflayer.jpg

(See what I did there! I tailored the context for the audience!)

Is that Cloverfield?

An illithid from D&D, otherwise known as a Mind Flayer.
The reference here is that Conservatives suck all of the intelligence out of any person they find.

Good thing L2 and Thor weren't present during the American Revolution. They'd want to know why the entire government wasn't up and running at 100% on the 26th of November, 1783.

Yea...

Goddamn people demanding results and competence from their government. HOW DARE THEY! These people must think government works for US or something.

'Good thing L2 and Thor weren't present during the American Revolution. They'd want to know why the entire government wasn't up and running at 100% on the 26th of November, 1783.'

- Wouldn't that have been a valid query? Indeed it was a deep concern held by many Americans.

I know really!

They had actually written the Articles of Confederation in 1777, and each state had ratified it by 1781. So by 1783 they were very ready and capable of running the government.. and did so despite the inherent flaws in the Articles.

I mean.. seriously.. what kind of Idiot would start a war without a plan beforehand for organizing the government of said place after victory in said action...

Oh Wait....


FUCK!

Well in our defence, it is a feature of history.