Latest from Bryant, or "Doc"

(RESPONDING TO MY EMAIL SAYING I HAD GOOGLED HIM)
Sharon, Ha, I never knew how much of me was on Google.

Actually, I am 28, I just joined late in the game. I have a degree in Graphic Design from the Art Institute International and enjoyed a successful career in advertising for the last 5 years. I just got tired of not making a difference in the world, so I decided to become an Army medic.

And that race was with my wife (now ex). Wow, we came in the bottom 10 in our age bracket. Ha, I blame her. And feel free to pray for me. I never pass up an oportunity for prayer.

Doc Shurley

POLITICS HERE AND THERE AMIDST WAR

HERE

1/30/07 James R. Carroll jcarroll@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal

WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said.... "Well, look, I don't want to speculate about what will happen if the effort to secure Baghdad doesn't work. I will say this. This is their last chance. This needs to be successful over the next six to nine months."

Some analysts said McConnell was sending two messages: one to the White House about what is politically viable, and one to Republican senators about how much time they will have to repair political damage, if that is necessary.

Republicans must defend 21 of the 33 Senate seats on the ballot next year. One of those GOP seats is McConnell's. "I think he's being a good leader by offering his caucus an approach that can both support the White House but also give them some peace of mind that their support isn't any longer open-ended and unequivocal," said GOP strategist Terry Holt, who was Bush's 2004 campaign spokesman.

THERE

1/30/2007 ....The Sadrist movement has given its blessing to an initiative led by one of two mayors of Sadr City to negotiate terms under which U.S. forces will be able to deploy freely there.

If the negotiations succeed, U.S. forces will be welcome in Sadr City, the Mahdi Army stronghold that has witnessed two previous battles between U.S. troops and the Shiite militia, said Rahim al-Daraji, the mayor of the southern half of Sadr City. Al-Daraji said he has been authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Mahdi Army and other Shiite factions.

"It will mean any U.S. soldier will be as welcome in Sadr City as any Iraqi citizen," said al-Daraji, who said he is politically independent. "He will be able to walk safely in Sadr City, sit in any restaurant he likes, and he can help in reconstructing the city."

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/world/16577849.htm

IRBIL, Jan 29 (KUNA) -- Iraqi MP for the Sadrist bloc Baha Al-Araji unveiled on Monday the near announcement of the Sadr-Kurd alliance....along with recommendations for serious cooperation seeking real national unity. The Sadr bloc delegation that is visiting Kurdistan at present, held meetings with the Kurdish leaders and discussed the Iraqi developments in general and the relations between the Sadrist bloc and the Kurdish alliance.

http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=947295

NEIGHBOR (Iran)

...Ambassador, Hassan Kazemi Qumi, said Iran was prepared to offer Iraq government forces training, equipment and advisers for what he called “the security fight.” In the economic area, Mr. Qumi said, Iran was ready to assume major responsibility for Iraq reconstruction....“We have experience of reconstruction after war,” Mr. Qumi said, referring to the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. “We are ready to transfer this experience in terms of reconstruction to the Iraqis.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/29/world/middleeast/29iranians.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

(Saudi Arabia)

Skeptical of U.S. strategy and resolve in Iraq, Saudi officials have met in Riyadh with Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani and with a delegation from Hezbollah in recent days. Arab-language newspapers close to the Saudi regime said the separate visits focused on containing the crisis in Lebanon and tamping down Sunni-Shi'ite tensions in general.

....Mohammed Mehdi Akef, the spiritual leader of the militant Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, late last week issued a statement condemning Sunni-Shi'ite divisions, implicitly blaming U.S. policy in Iraq and the region to fanning the tensions. ...Saudi King Abdullah had a double-edged message for Iran:

The king told the Al-Seyassah newspaper that Saudi Arabia "does not support any party that is an enemy of Iran," but also cautioned Tehran against underestimating the danger of antagonizing the United States in Iraq and elsewhere. "We advised Iran on how you go about cooperating internationally, and to avoid exposing the Gulf region to dangers," the king said of his meeting with Iran's Mr. Larijani.

http://www.washtimes.com/world/20070131-120000-6294r.htm

Iraq's deputy PM chides U.S. and Iran: Kim Gamel, AP

'I have to admit Iraq has become a zone of conflict and competition between various regional players and international players," Saleh said. "The tensions are there and undeniably there is a spillover effect that complicates Iraqi political and security transition."

"We are grateful to the United States for the effort on our behalf to overcome tyranny. But at the end of the day we are accountable to our own people, our own constituents who demand of us better security and better services," he said.

As for Iran, he said, good relations with the Shiite theocracy were important for Iraq given the countries sit side by side and that Iran gave shelter to many Iraqi dissidents during Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime and who now wield power.

But, he said, "The failure of this present political process in Iraq will mean chaos in Iraq and ultimately may well mean restoration of the status quo in the form of tyranny in one way or another."

Prime Minister Saleh

DIRE EXIT SCENERIOS DEBUNKED?

...there is no reason to automatically assume, many experts said, that the situation will improve if U.S. troops stay -- or get worse if they leave.

"When you go through the analysis -- even though I am prepared to concede that there can be dark scenarios coming out of a withdrawal from Iraq -- it's not at all clear to me that they are any worse than staying," said Rand Beers, a former national security official through the last four administrations, including the current Bush administration.

and from The American Prospect: http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=12313

The question is no longer whether Iraq will become a beacon of democracy in transforming the entire Middle East. That was a chimera. But the question is also not whether al-Qaeda will seize power. That is not likely even in central Iraq, and through the strategy we follow on the way out, we can minimize the chances that al-Qaeda will permanently entrench itself there.

Email from Bryant 1/27/2007

Sharon,

Thank you for your comments and support. I have to admit, I am humbled and even a bit embarrassed that my letter has caused so much response. I was simply trying to inform my friends and family of the situation. I can't believe so many people could care about my opinion. But I will trust God has a plan. I haven't had a chance toread your blog yet, but I will and gladly give you my thoughts on it. Once again, thanks. Its people like you that remind us why we do what we do.

SPC "Doc" Shurley

Sharon wrote:

I have read your thoughtful email letter. ...I have taken the liberty, based on your letter, to post it on my blogspot....found at http://www.vietnamwartimeline.blogspot.com/....

Let me know if you are interested in the dialogue. Thank you for your letter.

My thoughts will be with you.

Sharon

A SOLDIER'S VIEW FROM IRAQ

Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:17:06 -0800 (PST)From: Bryant Shurley <batmanvshomer@yahoo.com>

Subject: My view of Iraq

Following the article I sent about Bush's national address and troop increase, I thought it was a good idea to let you all know what the perspective is over here. I'm tired of hearing the media's skewed version, the politicians squabbling over what they read in a report, and the average ill-informed American ranting about things he knows NOTHING about. I've been over here a couple of months now, and I've learned more about this country than a year's worth of watching CNN. I've sat in mission briefs with Colonels, talked with village elders, had tea with Shieks, played with the kids. And I agree with the President. We need more troops and we need to take greater action. There are 3 major factions here. The Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. The Shiites are in the majority, but Saddam was a Sunni, so he kept the Shiites in check. Everyone hates the Kurds, who are Christian and in the vast minority. The Kurds received the brunt of Saddam's murderous tyranny. Now that Saddam is gone, the Shiites have taken control of Baghdad. The largely peaceful Sunnis are now the victims of radical Shiite terrorism. So the young Sunni men, who can no longer go to work and support their families, do what all young men would do. They join the Sunni militia and battle the Shiites. And thus the country sits on the brink of civil war. But this war is between them. They largely do not concern themselves with the U.S. troops. The insurgents who battle the Coalition Forces are from outside the country.

And the biggest problem down here isn't the insurgents. Its the politicians. The local politicians. Even though the country is controlled by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, downtown Baghdad is controlled by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Shiites follow al-Sadr and thus the Prime Minister does what al-Sadr says. Think of it as if a warlord controlled New York and blackmailed the President into diplomatic immunity. When 1st Cav (mainly 2/5 Cav) came here in 2004, they took downtown Baghdad (known as Sadr City) by force. It cost many lives, but after a year, we held an iron grip on the largest insurgent breeding ground in Iraq. The insurgents were afraid of the Horse People, and rightfully so. But when 1st Cav left, al-Sadr influenced the Prime Minister to kick out the Coalition forces from that area of Baghdad. He said the Iraqi military forces could hold the city. But all that happened was al-Sadr regained control of his cty, and it is now a heavily guarded fortress. A place where insurgents and terrorists can train and stockpile arms. And we cannot go back in becuase the Prime Minister won't let us. Our hands are tied.

So where does al-Sadr get his backing? From Iran and Syria. Iran supplies him with money and Syria supplies the terrorists. The insurgents that battle the Coalition Forces are from Syria, Somalia and dozens of other places outside of Iraq. Iraq is literally a terrorist breeding ground. They have terrorist and sniper schools here. Why not? They train by teaching them to attack the military forces here. And they have an endless supply of these training tools. They have factories in Sadr City to build bombs. Both Iran and Syria have openly proclaimed their number one goal in life is to destroy the great Western Devil and the little Western Devil (America and Britain). Iran wants to control Iraq to further this purpose. Al-Sadr will get to "run" the country and live like a king, but in reality Iran will pull the puppet strings. Iran will have access to thousands of radical Shiites who will do whatever al-Sadr tells them to. And Iraq will be used as a breeding ground for terrorism. Terrorism that will be targeted directly at America and Britain. The Iraq Study Group advised we should let Iran and Syria help with rebuilding? Bravo to President Bush for striking that idea down and vowing to keep those two countries out of Iraq.

So how do the Iraqi people feel about everything? Of course they don't want the Americans here. But they would far rather have us here than the Iranians. My platoon visited an average Sunni village on a patrol a few days ago. Their only source of income was to farm, as they could not go to the city to work for fear of violence. Many of the young men had already run off to join the militia for no other reason than to feed their families. They had no school or hospital near them and the community was dying. The village elder's granddaughter was very sick and I was able to treat her. Afterwards he invited me and my Platoon Leader to sit in his house and have tea with him, and we talked about the situation.

The people want peace. The Shiites kill the Sunnis because al-Sadr tells them to do so. The Sunnis fight back because they have no choice. They are glad Saddam is dead (Sunni or not), but do not want to replace him with another dictator in a politician's clothes (which is what al-Sadr will become). And they especially don't want Iran in charge. Many innocent Iraqis will die if this happens. These are the words that came out of the elder's mouth: "We do not want America here, and America does not want to be here. But you cannot leave because the militias controll the country. America must use the might of its giant army and sweep through, root out and destroy the militias. Then Iraq can be free and you can leave." What appears to have happened within our diplomatic community, is that Prime Minister finally realizes that his days are numbered. If al-Sadr remains, he will be kicked to the curb. So hopefully he is about to allow us to reenter Sadr City, root out and destroy the enemy. A dramatic troop increase will allow us to do this. And the Horse People are back and ready to finish what they started over 2 years ago.

If leave now, it will be a failure for democracy. Iran will contoll Iraq and the end result will be more terrorist attacks on America. The American people don't want soldiers dying over here, but its better than American civilians dying over there. Do NOT forget 9/11. They will do it again. The moment we loosen our grip on the noose, they will do it again. And the only way to root out the evil here is to stop beating around the bush, increase troops and destroy the insurgents once and for all. The Iraqi government cannot do this on their own. The Iraqi security forces are inadequate for this task. We are the only ones who can stop al-Sadr.

Feel free to share this with whomever wants a real soldier's opinion about the war. SPC "Doc" Shurley2/5 Cav, 1st CB

by Mohammed Fadhil , PJM Editor, First Hand Report from Baghdad

My Baghdad neighborhood today was “quiet” compared to the last few days; but Baghdad is a big city and a Baghdadi gets to hear about most incidents through TV or radio just like everybody elsewhere in the world. The difference is that for us Baghdad news is local news. For example, today I heard about fighting in Dora where 10 insurgents were arrested; I heard that 8 more were arrested in Latifiyah; I heard that Iraqi forces are now in control in Haifa street. I heard all of that but I saw or heard nothing about these incidents firsthand.

The news also said that many of the 35 suspects who were arrested yesterday in Haifa street are not Iraqis, but more significant than that was the discovery of a large weapons cache in al-Karkh high school, the very school Saddam went to back in the 1950s.
Away from the streets the biggest battle I saw today was aired live on TV — the latest session of the parliament that witnessed loud arguments between some of the MPs, during which the speaker decided to cut media transmission from the hall. Before it was cut off, PM Maliki spoke to the parliament to explain the goals and strategy of his new plan and to hear their feedback, suggestions and reservations.

Maliki’s speech was sharp and straightforward. He stressed that the Baghdad plan was not directed against one faction over the other. He called it a plan “enforce the law” and said it would use force to apply the law against those who kill Iraqis and displace them from their homes.
Maliki didn’t forget to criticize the media that accuse the plan of being impartial and he asked the local media to support the plan and encourage the citizens to cooperate with the authorities.
Maliki’s most important warning was when he said that no one and no place would be immune to raids. Mosques (Sunni or Shia), homes or political offices will all be subject to searches and raids if they are used to launch attacks or hide militants.

He added that the government will soon begin an operation to arrest anyone who occupied homes belonging to displaced families, and described such occupation an attempt to make displacement a permanent situation.

The parliamentary majority was supportive of Maliki’s approach but of course there were voices that criticized his plans and threw all sorts of accusations in his face. The Sadrists objected the arrest of some of their colleagues. Others complained that the participation of the Multi-National Force is wrong and would undermine the sovereignty of the government.

The biggest argument was when a Sunni cleric MP harshly criticized what he called a policy to target only certain parts of Baghdad (apparently referring to Haifa street and Latifiyah), and said the troops were killing civilians. The MP told Maliki that “We’ve lost trust in you as a head of the state….” An uproar began with many shouting from their seats. The cleric continued his verbal attack and the speaker tried to silence him by telling him he exceeded his time limit. He wouldn’t stop. The speaker then shut off the cleric’s microphone.

Maliki returned fire saying, “You in particular will regain your trust in this government when we send your file to a court of law. You talk about Latifiyah when you know, and everybody knows, that terrorists are right now holding 150 innocent citizens hostages in that city”. This direct threat was met by applause from the members of the UIA.

The speaker (al-Mashhadani) didn’t like this response from Maliki and turned to the lawmakers and said “You applaud this? The Prime Minister is openly accusing one of your colleagues of being a terrorist and you applaud! This is unacceptable!”

The session descended into chaos with members in white and black turbans shouting at each other. The speaker lost his patience and screamed back “Enough of this sectarian speech making! You will set the streets on fire! How are we going to succeed if we’re divided like this?”
We don’t know what happened later but it seems the situation escalated beyond that and pushed al-Mashhadani to cut the transmission.

These fights inside the parliament always frighten me because they all too soon roll out of the Parliment and transform themselves into car bombs and tortured bodies.

The weird and ironic finale to the whole argument we witnessed is that — after all the tension we saw on TV — , the state TV news line later reported that the parliament approved the Baghdad plan unanimously.

Now it is quiet again. Too quiet.

Movement in and out of Iraq

Iraqi Parliament speaker seeks to shame no-shows

Damien Cave, NYT: BAGHDAD, IRAQ — Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, the speaker of Parliament, read a roll call of the 275 elected members with a goal of shaming the no-shows.

Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister? Absent, living in Amman and London. Adnan Pachachi, the octogenarian statesman? Also gone, in Abu Dhabi. Others who failed to appear Monday included Saleh Mutlak, a senior Sunni legislator; several Shiites and Kurds; and Ayad al-Samaraei, chairman of the finance committee, whose absence led al-Mashhadani to ask: "When will he be back? After we approve the budget?" It was a joke barbed with outrage.

Iraq's Parliament in recent months has been at a standstill. Nearly every session since November has been adjourned because as few as 65 members made it to work, even as they and the absentees earned salaries and benefits worth about $120,000.

Republican Opposition to Iraq Plan Grows

"We've had four other surges since we first went into Iraq," said Sen. Susan Collins, referring to the administration's plan for an additional 21,500 troops. "None of them produced a long-lasting change in the situation on the ground. "So I am very skeptical that this surge would produce the desired outcome," said the Maine Republican .

In the Senate , Collins joined two Republicans and one Democrat to unveil nonbinding legislation expressing disagreement with Bush's plan. The president should consider "all options and alternatives" involving a smaller force, the measure said.

IRAN STEPS IN.....&.....IRAQ REFUGEE CRISIS

Yahoo News: by Ammar Karim Thu Jan 18, 12:55 PM ET
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Tehran's ambassador to Baghdad said that Iran stood ready to help train and equip Iraqi security forces to combat what he called terrorism. Speaking after talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Hassan Kazemi demanded to be shown "any shred of evidence that Iran is working to destabilise Iraq," as the United States alleges.

Iraq Refugee Crisis Exploding – 40% of Middle Class Believed To Have Fled Crumbling Nation
Iraq is in the throes of the largest refugee crisis in the Middle East since the Palestinian exodus from Israel in 1948, a mass flight out of and within the country that is ravaging basic services and commerce, swamping neighboring nations with nearly 2 million refugees and building intense pressure for emigration to Europe and the United States, according to the United Nations and refugee experts. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, which appealed for $60 million in emergency aid last week, believes 1.7 million Iraqis are displaced inside Iraq, whose prewar population was 21 million. About 50,000 Iraqis are fleeing inside Iraq each month, the United Nations said, and 500,000 have been displaced since last February's bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra. These figures are as of January 2007. ……… Roughly 40 percent of Iraq's middle class is believed to have fled, the U.N. said.

Keith Olbermann: JANUARY 11

Only this president, only in this time, only with this dangerous, even messianic certitude, could answer a country demanding an exit strategy from Iraq, by offering an entrance strategy for Iran.

Only this president could look out over a vista of 3,008 dead and 22,834 wounded in Iraq, and finally say, “Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me” — only to follow that by proposing to repeat the identical mistake ... in Iran.

Only this president could extol the “thoughtful recommendations of the Iraq Study Group,” and then take its most far-sighted recommendation — “engage Syria and Iran” — and transform it into “threaten Syria and Iran” — when al-Qaida would like nothing better than for us to threaten Syria, and when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would like nothing better than to be threatened by us...

Because last night the president foolishly all but announced that we will be sending these 21,500 poor souls, but no more after that, and if the whole thing fizzles out, we’re going home.

The plan fails militarily.
The plan fails symbolically.
The plan fails politically.

....Before Mr. Bush was elected, he said nation-building was wrong for America.
Now he says it is vital.
He said he would never put U.S. troops under foreign control.
Last night he promised to embed them in Iraqi units....

He has insisted it’s up to the generals, and then removed some of the generals who said more troops would not be necessary. ....He has assured us: ...As they stood up, we would stand down....We would never have to go door-to-door in Baghdad. And, last night, that to gain Iraqis’ trust, we would go door-to-door in Baghdad.

He told us the enemy was al-Qaida, foreign fighters, terrorists, Baathists, and now Iran and Syria. He told us the war would pay for itself. It would cost $1.7 billion. $100 billion. $400 billion. Half a trillion. Last night’s speech alone cost another $6 billion. And after all of that, now it is his credibility versus that of generals, diplomats, allies, Democrats, Republicans, the Iraq Study Group, past presidents, voters last November and the majority of the American people....

Mr. Bush, this is madness.
You have lost the military. You have lost the Congress to the Democrats. You have lost most of the Iraqis. You have lost many of the Republicans. You have lost our allies. You are losing the credibility, not just of your presidency, but more importantly of the office itself....

Prime Minister Maliki's View vs. Iraqi Parliament Member

Raed in the Middle: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 al-Jabiri says Iraqis need a political solution...
Nadim al-Jabiri is a professor of political science at Baghdad University, a member of Iraq's parliament, and the head of the Islamic Virtue Party (Al-Fadhila).

Many Iraqis welcomed the first few steps President Bush took following the release of the Baker-Hamilton report recommendations, like pressuring Mr. Al-Maliki to include more Sunnis in the government, reconsidering the de-Baathification process, and re-evaluating the laws for distributing oil revenue. But the current Bush-Maliki plan for attacking Baghdad shows that the Baker-Hamilton report was not taken seriously enough. In fact, the new Bush-Maliki strategy is the polar opposite of that report's major recommendations. The new Bush-Maliki plan includes sending more U.S. troops to Iraq, mostly to Baghdad, and sending more Iraqi troops, mostly from the Kurdish militia "Peshmerga," to Baghdad.

.... this will put an end to the participation of many Iraqi groups in the ongoing political process, because people like us will lose faith in achieving our goals and getting our country back through diplomacy.

Sending the Peshmerga, the Iraqi Kurdish militia, to fight Iraqi Arabs will activate other militias and justify forming even more militias in the middle and south of Iraq. This could lead to increasing the civil violence, and might even spark an Arab-Kurd civil war that will be added to the current civil conflict that was fueled by the destruction of the Shia Shrines in Samarra in February of last year.

The current political plan of President Bush and Prime Minister al-Maliki in establishing a US-backed coalition that includes the few Shia and Sunni parties that are justifying the occupation and working to divide Iraqi into three separate regions will do nothing other than increase the violence and confirm sectarian divisions.

Maliki Stresses Urgency In Arming Iraqi Forces
By Joshua PartlowWashington Post Foreign ServiceThursday, January 18, 2007;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/17/AR2007011702346_2.html?sub=new

BAGHDAD, Jan. 17 -- The Iraqi government's need for American troops would "dramatically go down" in three to six months if the United States accelerated the process of equipping and arming Iraq's security forces, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Wednesday. The head of Iraq's Shiite Muslim-led government defended his country's independence and sovereignty and called on U.S. leaders to show faith in his ability to lead...

In the interview Wednesday, Maliki said many American and Iraqi lives would have been spared if the Iraqi forces had been better equipped: a $1.5 billion military sales agreement Iraq reached with the United States last month. Under that deal, the Iraqi government will receive an additional 300 armored personnel carriers, 600 more "up-armored" Humvees, helicopters and other equipment this year, according to Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq. Iraq's proposed 2007 budget devotes $7 billion to building up the armed forces.

Bush administration officials have long expressed concern in private about delivering military equipment to Iraq because of uncertainty that it would be kept out of the hands of militiamen, common cirminals and insurgents....

"I know President Bush and I know him as a strong person that does not get affected by the media pressure, but it seems the pressure has gone to a great extent that led to the president giving this statement," Maliki said. Maliki spoke slowly and seriously for most of the conversation, but occasionally broke into a smile, such as when he was asked whether Bush needs him more than he needs Bush. This is an evil question," he said, laughing."

WHERE HAS (SOME OF) THE ENEMY GONE?

Meanwhile from: TODAY IN IRAQ....

Cabinet ministers and legislators loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr were instructed to end their six-week boycott of the political process,...the group's return was conditional, including demands that the government set up a committee to establish a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and a second that would set a date by which Iraqi forces were to take control of security nationwide.

Mahdi Army commanders were reported to have held a meeting recently to outline their strategy to counter the U.S. military campaign. The commanders had orders not to resist U.S. troops as part of their own strategy to preserve their weapons and power in preparation for the post-U.S. era in Iraq. Moqtada, who is Mahdi Army's chief commander, is reported to have instructed the militias to behave in a manner that will not lead to the loss of "even a single Mahdi Army member."

Mahdi Army militia members have stopped wearing their black uniforms, hidden their weapons and abandoned their checkpoints in an apparent effort to lower their profile in Baghdad in advance of the arrival of U.S. reinforcements. "We have explicit directions to keep a low profile . . . not to confront, not to be dragged into a fight and to calm things down,..." Mahdi Army militiamen say that while they remain undercover now, they are simply waiting for the security plan to end.

Meanwhile: Residents of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, are at risk of contracting a range of waterborne diseases as the city's sewage system has collapsed after four days of heavy rain,...."As the sewage system has collapsed, all residents are threatened with gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, cholera, diarrhoea and hepatitis. In some of Baghdad's poor neighbourhoods, people drink water which is mixed with sewage," Ali said.

Surge: US troops prepare for George Bush's last stand but with allies they don't trust and enemies who confuse them, commanders know it will be bloody

EXCERPT:

....They all look similar: balaclavas or wrap-around sunglasses and headbands, black leather gloves with fingers cut off, and a very lethal arsenal of weapons. When not manning checkpoints, they hurtle through the streets in 4x4s, scattering the traffic by firing in the air. It is impossible to say which particular group they belong to....

The main target, the Mehdi army, has around 50,000 well-armed fighters in the capital, mostly concentrated in Sadr City, the vast slum next to Baghdad, and the Shia holy city of Najaf and surrounding areas. But Mr Sadr also has 25,000 more militiamen in the south, where British forces will be in the firing line of retaliation for what the Americans do in Baghdad.

The Shia (Mehdi) militias are backed by Iran,... while the Syrians are accused of harbouring Sunni insurgents. In his speech last week Mr Bush once again accused the two countries of "allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq ... We will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq. "

BUSH AND THE TOP BRASS

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US military Joint Chiefs of Staff will reluctantly support President George W. Bush's plan to send 20,000 more US troops to Iraq, it was reported, citing Pentagon insiders.The Joint Chiefs -- generals and admirals that advise the US president on military issues -- have long opposed adding to the 132,000 US troops already in Iraq, according to the Washington Post.

....Bush has long said that he will heed the advice of his top military officers concerning Iraq. But the president "wasn't satisfied with the recommendations he was getting" from the military commanders, Philip Zelikow, a former State Department counselor that was involved with Iraqi policy, told the Post. The president "thought we need a strategy that was more purposeful and likely to succeed if the Iraqis could make that possible," Zelikow said.

The Joint Chiefs fear the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki may not provide the military support or implement the political reforms necessary for US forces to eventually withdraw, the Post reported....

AEI-KAGAN WEIGH IN ON IRAQ & INTELLIGENCE SPIN FOR IRAN?

AEI INSTITUTE/KAGAN REPORT: Victory is still an option in Iraq....

We must send more American combat forces into Iraq and especially into Baghdad to support this operation.

A surge of seven Army brigades and Marine regiments to support clear-and-hold operations that begin in the spring of 2007 is necessary, possible, and will be sufficient to improve security and set conditions for economic development, political development, reconciliation, and the development of Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) to provide permanent security.

American forces, partnered with Iraqi units, will clear high-violence Sunni and mixed Sunni-Shia neighborhoods, primarily on the west side of the city.

After those neighborhoods are cleared, U.S. soldiers and Marines, again partnered with Iraqis, will remain behind to maintain security, reconstitute police forces, and integrate police and Iraqi Army efforts to maintain the population’s security.

As security is established, reconstruction aid will help to reestablish normal life, bolster employment, and, working through Iraqi officials, strengthen Iraqi local government.

Securing the population strengthens the ability of Iraq’s central government to exercise its sovereign powers.

This approach requires a national commitment to victory in Iraq:

The ground forces must accept longer tours for several years.

National Guard units will have to accept increased deployments during this period.

Equipment shortages must be overcome by transferring equipment from non-deploying active-duty, National Guard, and reserve units to those about to deploy. Military industry must be mobilized to provide replacement equipment sets urgently.

The president must request a dramatic increase in reconstruction aid for Iraq....must insist upon the completion of reconstruction projects....should also request a dramatic increase in Commander’s Emergency Response Program (CERP) funds.

The president must request a substantial increase in ground forces end strength....The president must issue a personal call for young Americans to volunteer to fight in the decisive conflict of this generation.

The president and his representatives in Iraq must forge unity of effort with the Iraqi government.

Other courses of action have been proposed. All will fail....

Intelligence Skewing re: Iran?

Larisa Alexandrovna

Monday January 8, 2007

The nomination of retired Vice Admiral John Michael "Mike" McConnell to be Director of National Intelligence is part of an effort by the Vice President to tighten the Administration’s grip on domestic intelligence and grease the wheels for a more aggressive stance towards Iran, current and former intelligence officials believe....According to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, Negroponte’s exit followed a lengthy internal administration battle between the Office of the Vice President and the two-year-old Office of the Director of National Intelligence....

“The NIE on Iran is at issue,” said one former senior intelligence officer close to Negroponte. The National Intelligence Estimate is an interagency report that synthesizes information across all intelligence agencies on a particular topic, providing an overall assessment and analysis.

IS IRAQ BETTER OFF?

IRAQ POLL:

Do you feel the situation in the country is better today or better before the U.S.-led invasion?

Better today - 5%
Better before - 90%
Not sure - 5%

Source: Iraq Centre for Research and Strategic Studies / Gulf Research Center_Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 2,000 Iraqi adults in Baghdad, Anbar and Najaf, conducted in late November 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.