America's Best Future lies in the hands of people like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

A Divided House Denounces Plan for More Troops (click on title)

Although the news media would like to diminish the importance of the vote regarding Iraq, a vote of 246 - 182 is NOT a sharply divided vote.

I'll comment on this further but I'll let the Republicans make complete fools out of themselves in the Senate as well before I do.

To begin with the 'new' security plan is on the heels of more than three days of debate regarding Iraq in the House of Representatives.

There are couple of reservations regarding the 'quiet' before the potential storm in Baghdad.

To begin, it ain't the whole country. The most volatile area in Iraq and has been the entire time is An Albar. This is the news from there today.:

I don’t agree with the civilian death numbers of this accounting. There is estimated by more than one reliable source to be AT LEAST nearly a quarter of a million Iraqi citizens, including the elderly, men, women and children, dead since the invasion and most are above what would be 'normal' mortality for Iraq otherwise.

FACTBOX-Military and civilian deaths in Iraq
Feb 17 (Reuters) - Insurgents killed a U.S. marine in Iraq's western Anbar province on Friday, the U.S. military said on Saturday.
Following are the latest figures for military deaths in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003:
U.S.-LED COALITION FORCES:

United States 3,133

Britain 132

Other nations 124

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1726446.htm


The deaths of USA Military has occurred all this week. And where there is USA deaths there are civilian deaths which occur in ratio of at least 75 Iraqi civilian deaths to one American death.

U.S. deaths in Iraq

As of Thursday, at least 3,133 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The latest identifications reported by the military:

Army Pfc. Nickolas Tanton, 24, San Antonio; died Tuesday in Kirkuk from noncombat-related injuries; assigned to the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Morris, 19, Crimora, Va.; died Wednesday in Anbar province; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Army Sgt. First Class Allen Mosteiro, 42, Fort Worth, Texas; died Wednesday in Baghdad of wounds suffered from small-arms fire during combat operations Tuesday in Taji; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1171629132155380.xml&coll=2

The fact of the matter might be that the quiet that is being coined as 'The Security Plan of Baghdad' just might be in response to the fact the American people through their vote in putting Democrats in office this year in majority in the House has proven a new FAITH in the Iraqi people.

Up to now the people of Iraq have known a loud mouth, talking Texan that has done nothing but threatened to kill all those that opposed him. That was never taken well. By the pure admission by Bush during the 2006 elections, it was stated by minimally Tony Snow that the people of Iraq watch the elections in the USA to decide on violence. (I personally don't believe that. I believe there is a rebellion against the USA presence because Bush has not only crippled the country of Iraq, but has tied up the oil reserves that are the assets of Iraq to ownership of the USA and have oppressed the freely elected Unity Government to insure the oil in Iraq reaches the USA for a long time, hence imposing American will rather than Iraqi will.) But, if Bush is willing to say that the Iraqi people watch the elections as a form as strategy against the government then they must be watching what the current majority in the House is doing to remove the 'threat' of a greater war from that country.

What has occurred in the House this week might very well be a clear demonstration of the willingness of Americans to leave Iraq to Iraqis, including the currently developing provinces within the federalized nation called Iraq.

I'll go as so far to say that if the House and Senate remove all the oppressing 'deals' bartered by Bush with Iraq from any influence the rebellion would stop completely. In other words, leaving Iraq means leaving Iraq and not just partially. Turning over the Iraqi government entirely to the Iraqi people including their national assets WITHOUT designs on them would be the gift of freedom they might be looking for.

Baghdad is an large percentage of the Iraqi people, the current capital of the Unity Government. There is no doubt the people of Baghdad are deciding about how they feel about the presence of the USA when connected to media. It might be the first place we see a more peaceful Iraq in areas of previous violence due to the 'reduction' of influence of American forces is Baghdad.

Now, to put this into other perspective that seems more realistic. Let's say the new 'Security Initiative' is allowed to be in the streets of Baghdad with sudden obedience, realizing the borders of Iraq are closed. I don't know that Iraqi borders could ever be closed, but, for the sake of argument we'll say Mr. Maliki really does have the cooperation of all the surrounding countries and there is not only a decision of Iraq to close it's borders but also cooperation with neighboring nations. The truth might be that 'testing of the waters' is more prudent to the rebels than any other strategy right now.

To put it plainly, the Iraqi rebels, no matter the Sunni or Shi'ite are gathering intelligence about this initiative. Now, mind you this isn't completely new. There have been show of strength before in Baghdad with the same result for a day or so.

It is common, for Islamic fighters to 'lay low' or 'move aside' or as in Fallujah completely leave an area while the American forces 'do their thing.' Then when they have decided about what the next strategy is they move back into the so called conquered area with more force and will power than previously noted. They find solutions through applied intelligence gathering to strategies that work against the West's forces. That might very well be what is occurring in Baghdad while the war still continues in An Albar and other areas of Iraq.

Now, people will also point to the movement of the Cleric al Sadr and his support team out of the area as the reason for the quiet. I don't really buy that. The Cleric has mostly moved away from the 'street fighting' while moving toward a more political position to insure the Shi'ites and their 'interests' in the Unity Government are included and respected. So, to say that the Cleric is no longer giving orders to the street fighters and hence no more trouble is a very big stretch. He has not been doing that for some time and in my opinion he never left his role as spiritual leader to be a military commander. I don't think he would ever do that either. So, the Bush assessment of Cleric al Sadr is completely bizarre. Additionally, there is nothing preventing the rebels from being anything but rebels. So to assume there is someone pulling their strings as puppets is completely bizarre and an attempt to scapegoat a simple understanding of a complex issue.


It is common, for Islamic fighters to 'lay low' or 'move aside' or as in Fallujah completely leave an area while the American forces 'do their thing.' Then when they have decided about what the next strategy is they move back into the so called conquered area with more force and will power than previously noted. They find solutions through applied intelligence gathering to strategies that work against the West's forces. That might very well be what is occurring in Baghdad while the war still continues in An Albar and other areas of Iraq.

Now, people will also point to the movement of the Cleric al Sadr and his support team out of the area as the reason for the quiet. I don't really buy that. The Cleric has mostly moved away from the 'street fighting' while moving toward a more political position to insure the Shi'ites and their 'interests' in the Unity Government are included and respected. So, to say that the Cleric is no longer giving orders to the street fighters and hence no more trouble is a very big stretch. He has not been doing that for some time and in my opinion he never left his role as spiritual leader to be a military commander. I don't think he would ever do that either. So, the assessment of Cleric al Sadr is completely bizarre. Additionally, there is nothing preventing the rebels from being anything but rebels. So to assume there is someone pulling their strings as puppets is completely bizarre and an attempt to scapegoat a simple understanding of a complex issue.

We may finally be on the right track. At least it would seem that way for many reasons including the fact that if Iraqis have to defend themselves, they will.