Star One Smart Blog's

Some of ur Military Commanders on the groud in Iraq, those 'brain trusts' to whom we trust the lives of American Soldiers, have come to the conclusion in recent days that Iraqi Soldiers/Security Forces (who are supposed to come behind after our boys have 'cleaned out the joint' and maintain security in said sanitized areas) aren't capable of doing the job. From AP writer Robert Reid:

"Iraqi units are supposed to be moving into position to take the baton from the Pentagon. This was the backbone of the plan President Bush announced in January when he ordered five more U.S. brigades, or about 30,000 soldiers, to Iraq. The goal is to reduce the violence to a level where the Iraqis can cope so that Americans can begin to go home.

But that outcome is looking ever more elusive. The fear is that U.S. troops will pay for territory with their lives only to have Iraqi forces lose control once the Americans move on."

Take the baton, indeed. It seems that Iraqi forces are the 'weak link' in George Bush's (and General Petraeus') Surge Plan. Baton-twirling might be the Iraqi force's calling; those girls just can't seem to do the jobs our American Soldiers fight (and die) to get them in a position to do.

Why is it that American Soldiers are utterly capable and competent, enough so to sweep a region or a city block, clear it of Al-qaeda and other assorted cockroaches, and then turn around a short time later and find that that region is again infested with the enemy?


Might it be because the Iraqi Army is largely comprised of...the enemy?

Oh, sorry, the Iraqi Security Forces. They certainly don't have an 'army', much, or anything remotely resembling a secuity force, either, in comparison to who and what they are expected to replace. From the
State Department's weekly report to Congress (June 20):

The Department of Defense’s June 2007 report to Congress, “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq,”reports trained and equipped Iraqi Security Forces increased by 18,000 since the last quarterly report in March. In addition, nine Iraqi divisions, 31 brigades, and 95 battalions are in the lead or operating independently in their areas. That is an increase of one division headquarter and two battalions since March. These troops are working alongside Coalition forces to provide greater security to the Iraqi population."

What earthly good can they be if they can't do their jobs? Why can't they hold the 'cleared' areas? Could it be because they probably comprised of compromised individuals, in the first place? From General Mick Bednarek, on the ground in Iraq:

"The challenge now is: How do you hold on to the terrain you've cleared?" said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, operations chief of the current offensive in Baqouba, where Sunni insurgents have taken root in recent months. He said this week that U.S. forces have control of much of Baqouba.

"You have to do that shoulder to shoulder with Iraqi security forces. And they're not quite up to the job yet," he said.

Face it: Iraqi men probably don't have much stomach left for 'National Pride', for esprit de corps. They were beaten, twice, by Coalition forces, their country is rife with foreigners...Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. These newly-minted ISF Iraqi men probably don't care, much, for fighting against their own, unless you add in the Acid that is the Islamic Religion: tell a Sunni that he's going against a Shi'ite, or visa-versa, and there's your fight.

The continuation of American Involvement in Iraq's Civil War seems not to be going anywhere, in a hurry, and if the fears of some of the Brass in the Grass is true, then...hmmmph.

And Bush? Celebrating his Cloture win yesterday. He's wrong about that, you know. He's seriously eaten up by the 'North American Union' idea, for whatever reason. Because his brother is married to a Hispanic? Because his (Bush's) first girfriend was...? Dunno.

He's wrong about Islam, too. From yesterday's White House press briefing, Tony Snow (who also is probably wishing he'd stayed on at Fox News):

Q The President goes to the Islamic Center tomorrow. Does he still believe that Islam is a religion of peace, and does he regret using the term last year "Islamic fascists"?

MR. SNOW: He believes Islam is a religion of peace. He also believes that it has been hijacked, in some cases, by people who use Islam as a shield for murdering people, who use it as a way of spreading terrorism rather than tolerance. And he will be making those points tomorrow.

Q What about the term "Islamic fascists"?

MR. SNOW: Again, I think -- look, there are some people out there who want to expose people in the name of Islam to a totalitarian way of life. And the President does not think that that is -- what is important to realize is that the President does not believe that is consistent with Islam.

And that is just deadly wrong. Proved daily by suicide bombings, IED's, the Sunni-Shi'ite civil war, and an obvious look at the religion's history.

Wrong, Mr. President, on the issue of Shamnesty. Wrong, on the future viability of Islam, as a 'Religion of Peace'. And it's beginning to look like wrongness in Iraq, at least as far as the 'surge' is concerned.