"...I believe myself that this war is lost and that the surge is not accomplishing anything, as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday," [Senetor Harry] Reid said...
"I think it's failed, I say that without any question," he said of the troop increase.
He also said he believed that both the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State know the war has been lost also. How one loses a war without losing a single battle is mystifying to me. Oh, wait, you can do it the Vietnam Way; you know, give up.
The "extreme violence" to which Senator Reid referred is part of a new offensive by al Qaida whose intent is not to score a military victory, an event which to this day alludes them, but to score a political victory that will result in a weakening of morale.
It’s getting harder and harder to say that the results of the security plan are “mixed.” The track record of the security plan had been positive, until recently, on one note: reducing the numbers of murdered corpses discovered in the streets. There were 58 bodies discovered yesterday across Iraq, according to the New York Times. Moreover, the increase in bomb attacks, using cars and suicide belts, has meant that civilian casualty rates are higher than before the security plan began
To counter the success of the Security plan, al Qaeda is engaged in high profile suicide bombings inside Badghdad. Beginning on April 13th when an Iraqi Parlimentarian was killed by a suicide bomber inside the Green Zone. That same day they attacked, and destroyed, the Jisr al-Hadeed bridge. Each day since has brought similar attacks and today
Four massive suicide bomb attacks targeting Shia in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 183 people April 18. The attacks indicate a coordinated campaign by al Qaeda-led jihadists to undermine the U.S. security plan in Baghdad and exacerbate sectarian tensions in the country by riling up the most rebellious of the Shiite militant groups -- the al-Sadrites.
There can only be a single reason for such attacks since they have no military value whatsoever: They are intended to undermine confidence in the pro-government forces ability to protect the Iraqi people. They are aimed directly at the political class in our country who need ammunition to help them get their enemy to withdraw.
These attacked are staged mostly from Diyala province where al Qaeda's presence is strong and the new Security Plan has yet to be fully implemented.
Al Qaeda in Iraq has clearly discovered a seam in the increased security inside Baghdad, and is directing its bombing campaign for political and sectarian effects. This bombing blitz is projecting an image of failure of the nascent Baghdad Security Plan. Al Qaeda clearly hopes to destroy any remaining political support inside the U.S. government and the American people for the security operation, which is still in mid deployment. Al Qaeda also hopes to reignite the Sunni-Shia sectarian war and the activity of the Shia death squads inside Baghdad, which has decreased significantly since the start of the security operation in mid-February.
While al Qaeda's haven in Anbar province has been diminishing over the past six months, the terror group has ramped up operations inside Diyala province, where thousands of al Qaeda fighters have relocated from Baghdad. From Diyala, al Qaeda is launching this devastating car and suicide bombing campaign. Al Qaeda's safe haven and command and control nodes inside the province must be diminished to alleviate the pressure on Baghdad.
But as the new al Qaida offensive scare Senator Reid, the next generation of Iraqis is getting stronger
Political science students at Baghdad University had barely begun a discussion of comparisons between the Iraq and Vietnam wars when suddenly nearby explosions shook the classroom.
The talk instantly shifted from a past conflict to the here and now -- and what it's like to live in a war zone when it's unknown if a trip to school will be your last.
Yasser Thar, a junior, said such bombings fill him with fear and anxiety.
"I wonder if my family is OK because we have no idea where those bombs are landing," he said.
More bombs went off. The students didn't even flinch. (Watch bombs shake class, make students more determined under fire
)
"These explosions have united us as the sectarian violence divides us. Whether we are Sunni, Shia or Kurd, we are all targets and that has brought us closer," said Muhklas Ali, also a junior.
Such is the way of life for students at Baghdad University, where they could be killed at any time simply for trying to get a diploma. Extremists have terrorized this campus over the last four years.
Just this week, a car bomb exploded at the university's entrance, killing five students and wounding 18 others. Since the war in Iraq began in March 2003, at least 70 security guards and employees have been killed and 100 professors have been assassinated, officials said. The death toll from car bombs on campus isn't even known because there have been so many.
Makes the weeks at Virginia Tech pale in comparison, don't you think? I wonder if the situation degraded here in the US to this point, how many US students would continue their studies. I wonder how many of the professors would remain.
I wonder what Senator Reid would be doing. He's willing to collaborate now...
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made a surprise visit to Iraq to express the pressure being brought to bare by al Qaida and the Democrats
"The Iraqis have to know that this isn't an open-ended commitment," Gates told reporters traveling with him Thursday, emphasizing that he does not intend to be subtle in meetings with Maliki and others...
"Frankly, I would like to see faster progress," Gates said shortly before flying to Baghdad.
Gates said he will push the Maliki government to reach consensus on key legislation that would govern the country's oil resources and allow some former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to return to their jobs. The Iraqi government laid out benchmarks for those and other key legislative goals last fall but has largely failed to meet them. "Getting some of these laws enacted communicates a willingness to work together" and could ultimately reduce attacks, Gates said.
But of course, he and the President will have to go directly to the American people to undermine the Democratic leadership whose position is entrenched.
Al Qaeda has known for a long time that the only way to win this war is to undermine our morale for fighting it. And like any thinking enemy, when we adapt to their strategy in an effective way, they adapt to our. This sequence will continue until one or the other withdraws from the field of battle.
Harry Reid and the Democrats are working hard to assure that it is the US that withdraws first.
