Back                                                                 Hay It's Working!
 
   "Hay it's working!" I guess it is. After all only 5 U.S. soldiers died today (2/08/08) and only eight this week. I'll admit that the violence is down but it is still going on.
  People, take 20,000 police and put them on the streets of Philadelphia and the crime rate will drop too. That doesn't mean that when you have to remove them (Because you can't afford to pay them any more.) that it won't go right back up. A good example of that is the climb of the rate of crime across the country since George Bush reduced the funding for the "Cops on the street" Program. A program that he has just left, totally, out of the 2008 budget.
   The main reason for the "Surge" was to give the Iraqi Government "Breathing room." so they could work out their differences. Very little has been done on that front.
   Still, I hear, over and over again. "See, it's working." To that I answer. "Yes, but still our guys are dying."
   How long, how many lives and how much money are we prepared to give for a country that may or may not be our friend in the end. Remember they are very friendly with Iran right now.
 
Feb. 13th 2008 (Associated Press)
                                Speaker threatens to disband Iraq Parliament over dispute:
   The article goes on to explain that the speaker of the house, a member of the Sunni minority (Who has the power) threatened to dissolve the parliament, which he can do with a one third majority vote. (He announced he had that vote.)
   It appears that the parliament is "Riddled with distrust." and that the Shiite lawmakers walked out of a night session when the Kurds refused to make concessions over the sharing of oil revenues. 
   The government is running with nearly 50% of the 40 cabinet post empty.
   People, What have I been saying for the last year? There is no way the surge, or the war, can work as long as the people of Iraq can't get along. Power can be a very dangerous thing in the wrong hands and all segments of Iraqi society fear all the other segments. I keep hearing how long it took us to form our constitution and it did (Take a long time.) but we had one thing going for us that the Iraqis don't have. We might not have agreed on everything but we did trust each other. They don't and haven't for centuries.
   Also in the news is a statement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that he agrees with Gen. David Petraeus that there should be a pause in the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq after the current reduction is completed in July. We put in an extra 30,000 troops and are drawling down 22,000 then (After the recommended pause will bring home the other 8,000.) Let's see if I have this right. After 5 years we added 30,000 troops and a year later brought home the 30,000. So we are right back where we started. Still stuck in a country where the people on the streets think it's ok to kill Americans. There is still not a functioning democracy. We are losing lives and money everyday and the people are closer to our enemy Iran then they were before we went in. Meanwhile the situation in Afghanistan is breaking down. ARE WE CRAZY???
 
   2/25/08: Update: In the last few days we had 6 American soldiers die and I have no idea how many were wounded or how they died I only know when updating my death count CNN had going up 6 from 3, 966 to 3,972 and that in only 4 days.
   Also this week 45 Iraqi civilians died when 2 suicide bombers set off their explosives in a pilgrimage to a holy site. The chief of police and two police officers were killed by a man in a wheelchair that blew himself up and several mortar rounds fell in the green zone.  Isn't progress great?
   2/25/08: CNN: 8,000 of the surge troops will not be coming home this summer as expected. The Pentagon reported on Mon. and we are going to send some 10,000 more troops into Afghanistan. (Finally) I believe I recommended that over two years ago.
   3/07/08: CNN: I haven't updated this page lately, even though there have been attacks but I have to post this one. Yesterday in Baghdad two bombs went off killing at least 69 people and wounding 120 more. This followed 3 more bombings in Mosul on 3/08/08 that killed 6 and a suicide attack that killed 5 security officers & wounded 17 other people. PEOPLE this is the results of a winning surge????
   3/11/08:  CNN:  Not only did I have to add three dead to my first page which lists the deaths of American soldiers but at least 48 Iraqi citizens also died. Not to mention the 20 bodies found in a mass grave.  So much for that surge.