The most sensible perspective on the in-going insurgency in Iraq ia by Ausin Bay, who put's all the bloviating and teeth gnashing in the mainswamp media into proper perspactive. --Orson ------------------------------------------------ "It's no Mogadishu, it's no Tet -- in fact, the ugly, baiting murders in Fallujah and Muqtada al-Sadr's made-for-Tv rebellion may be an extraordinary opportunity for the United States and Iraqi democrats, if the military operations and politics are handled with finesse. "As I write this column, elements of the U.S. First Marine Division have surrounded and entered Fallujah, Iraq, the site of last week's murder of four American civilian security agents. ... "There's a warrant out for [Al-Sadr's] arrest. Like a junior Al Capone, he responds to the rule of law by sending his gang into the street. [THIS GOES TO MOTIVE AND TIMING:] "The Fallujah massacre and al-Sadr's riots are calculated, violent acts orchestrated by desperate thugs confronting imminent loss of power. An Iraqi democracy threatens the sorry lot of them, so they're taken their best shot at halting the process. [Snip!] "I suspect coalition forces tackling Sadr and the Marines in Fallujah will wait out hostage situations when possible, but they will not wait forever. Such standoffs, with innocents grabbed by cornered militiamen, send another message: Baath and Islamo-fascists aren't leading popular rebellions, they are holding Iraqis hostage, to their own evil ends." http://www.strategypage.com/messageboards/messages/479-127.asp
Well Orson, the conventional wisdom says that the insurgency will increase as we approach the June deadline for the administrative "keys" to change hands. On the other hand, it's the conventional wisdom that got us into this crap in the first place. Jack
