Are We Winning Yet?

[PanTheMan]

It's up and it's good!......

[PanTheMan]

Iraq coming apart, Saudi official , USA TODAY

Iraq is moving toward disintegration, and war there could spread to its neighbors, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said Thursday.

In part because of a new constitution that would give more power to various regions in Iraq, "there seems to be no dynamic that is pulling the country together," Saud said. Iraqis are to vote on the constitution next month. Sunni Arab leaders are urging a "no" vote, while majority Shiites urge approval.


"All the dynamics there are pushing people away from each other," said Saud, whose nation is predominantly Sunni.


The main problem, Saud told a small group of reporters here, is the split between Sunnis and Shiites in central and southern Iraq. Continued autonomy for non-Arab Kurds in northern Iraq is less of a concern, he said.


"If things go the way they are ... there will be a struggle among the three for natural resources," Saud said, and Iraq's neighbors will be drawn into a wider war.


He said Iran, a predominantly Shiite but non-Arab nation, would intervene on the side of Iraqi Shiites. Turkey, which has a big Kurdish minority, has repeatedly threatened to enter northern Iraq if Kurds there declare independence. If Iraq's Sunni Arab minority appears to lose out, "I don't see how the Arab countries will be left out of the conflict in one way or another."


The State Department had no comment on Saud's remarks.


Saud, who met later with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, faulted the Bush administration for adding to sectarian tensions by treating all members of Saddam Hussein's mainly Sunni Baath Party as "criminals" after ousting Saddam. He urged the United States to work harder to persuade Shiites to reach out to Sunni Arabs to assure them of their safety and equality and of Iraq's territorial integrity.


Although Saudi Arabia provided limited help to the United States in the initial phases of the war, Saud had recommended a coup to oust Saddam - not the dismantling of the Iraqi government. "It's no secret that Saudi Arabia does not believe military action in Iraq will achieve the objective it is aimed at," he said in a March 2002 interview with USA TODAY

[alphabassettgrrl]

Hmmm... don't figure out what we're doing wrong, just let's not tell people the bad news... :: sigh ::

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Well, it sure is nice to see how much progress we are making in training the Iraqi forces. At this rate, we'll be celebrating Disneyland's 75th anniversary before we see any troops come home.

Link

The number of Iraqi army battalions that can fight insurgents without U.S. and coalition help has dropped from three to one, top U.S. generals told Congress yesterday, adding that the security situation in Iraq is too uncertain to predict large-scale American troop withdrawals anytime soon.

Gen. George W. Casey Jr., who oversees U.S. forces in Iraq, said there are fewer Iraqi battalions at "Level 1" readiness than there were a few months ago. Although Casey said the number of troops and overall readiness of Iraqi security forces have steadily increased in recent months, and that there has not been a "step backwards," both Republican and Democratic senators expressed deep concern that the United States is not making enough progress against a resilient insurgency.

How exactly is this not a step backwards?

[PanTheMan]

Bush and Co., can put a spin on anything.... "hey look....we are using up their ammo!"

Right up there with "Better to fight them over there than in the streets of America." and hey, People believed that one! Of course Rumsfeld has had to backtrack on that one now admitting most of the insurgency are IRAQI, not "Terrorists" from all around the world. But what is a little lie between friends...

i have to say, If I had an occupying Army sitting on my street, I'd be taking shots at them too. Of Course many of my Pro-War freinds would NEVER fight off an occupying force and be thrilled to have them there. At least that is what they tell me.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Mission Accomplished!

[Scrooge McSam]

Freedom is on the march!

[SacTown Chronic]

God save the queen!


Oh, wait.


We're fighting them there so we won't have to fight them here.

[Nephythys]

here's a quandry-

They say that the vote on the new constitution is a vital step to getting the US troops home-

The insurgents claim they want us gone, that their stated objective is making us leave-

But they have vowed to disrupt and stop the vote on the constitution that would take a large step forward towards getting rid of us-

Huh? Methinks they are sending a mixed message....and are not being honest about anything- imagine dishonesty from terrorists- whoda thunk it?

[Betty]

That doesn't seem to odd - they don't like what's in the constitution and they still want us out of there. Simple.