The Ongoing Liberation of Baghdad
(Does it really matter what is the nonsense of the Senate?)
By Mark Kilmer Posted in War — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
It is either happening or it is not.
Over at Iraq the Model, Omar confidently called Wednesday, "Operation Baghdad, Day 2." He had posted yesterday that the operation had begun, with a semi-denial from Radio Sawa, and I commented here that "[e]ven if this is only the Maliki government becoming antsy as they wait, it is a good sign and the liberation has begun."
In today's post (linked above), Omar explains:
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I got to hear conflicting reports about the status of Baghdad's security plan; as you can see from yesterday's post it seemed that the operation was officially launched but this afternoon I heard that a US general in Iraq said that the time for launching the plan would be an Iraqi decision.
It's not clear yet which account is more accurate but I think the issue is more about formalities than about technical military issues; PM Maliki and his cabinet have been long talking about the plan being entirely Iraqi in both planning and implementation and that the role of the US military would be limited to offering advice and support. So it seems he felt that someone was stealing his thunder so to speak, and he didn't like that. If my guess is true, then it's somewhat childish of him.
So I guess it’s only that Maliki wants to be the one who blows the attack horn and I think this will be very soon, but technically the operation has started, yet in a way that's quiet different from previous operations.
Not all of the Iraqi troops are in place; not all of the American troops are in place. They do not have to be for the operation to begin, and it does not require Prime Minister Maliki or General Petraeus to announce that the operation has started. Words do not alter physical actions on the ground.
These terrorists, when caught, will not be read their Miranda rights; I suspect they will either surrender or be killed. I trust that these soldiers will be focused on their mission, not concerned about the status of Warner-Levin or whatever other sense of the Senate nonsense if floating around. In a firefight, they won't have time to recall all the splendid amenities for which Billy Arkin pays.
Godspeed.
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The Ongoing Liberation of Baghdad 2 Comments (0 topical, 2 editorial, 24 hidden) Post a comment »
I would be as optimistic as you, but since just about every party in this new government is conservative Islamic, and the biggest ones (SCIRI, Dawa) are old friends and supporters of Iranian theocracy, my hopes don't run very high. We've just created Iran Part II.
I'm tired of hearing the Administration lower its sights for Iraq. Its rhetoric leaps like a lion while its actions follow behind timidly like a lamb.
The goal should be not only creating a democratic regime in Iraq, but holding up that regime as a model of success for the rest of the region.
IRAQ THE MODEL!
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher