Iraqi "Rope-a-Dope"?

[leftofthedial]

Best I can tell, upwards of 900,000 Iraqi troops just melted into the countryside in the last days of the Bushco invasion.

Many of these are undoubtedly glad to be finished with the whole thing. Some are undoubtedly participating in the current guerilla war.

Are others waiting, biding their time as American troops get more and more tired and frustrated and their morale flags even more? When the time is ripe, when we expand the PNAC conquest into another front, or we have to commit more troops to Afghanistan to save Karzai's bacon (which could happen any day), when American effective strength is reduced enough, will there be a much larger uprising of Iraqi resistance?

[mrsteve]

1. For our younger viewers - definiton of "rope a dope"

rope-a-dope

From the WordNet Dictionary

Definition: a boxing tactic: pretending to be trapped against the ropes while your opponenet wears himself out throwing punches

See Also: boxing, fisticuffs, pugilism


Note - Ths is most famous when used in association with the 1974 Ali-Forman fight in Zaire, when Ali used the rope-a-dope for 14 rounds to tire Forman, then Ali came of the ropes and knocked him out in the 15th round to win.


An interesting theory for the Iraq army - on a related idea, betcha the longer the power stays off and gas stays scarce, the more ex-soldiers will come out of the woodwork, tho.

(on edit - added boxing attribution)

[justicebuilder]

5. Nope

Ali KO'ed Foreman in the 8th.

[ewagner]

2. Pay-for Jihad?

Most of the Iraqi army were there only because it was better (marginally) than starving. The invasion gave them another choice:die or desert. Most deserted.

Remember the TV scenes of thousands of former soldiers walking home (in civilian clothes)? What do you think those men are doing now? Working? Providing a living for their family? I don't think so. If somebody can pay them to take pot shots at Americans, they will be more than willing to do so. Worse yet, if the resistance ever gets organized enough to finance full-time jihadis, these guys will go to whoever can feed them.

Rope-a-dope? yep! and we're the dopes!

[leftofthedial]

3. I don't think 900,000 or more deserted

How many troops do we have on the ground?

130K?

[Drifter]

4. Much like a screen pass in football ...

The offensive line gives a half hearted attempt at stopping the defensive line, ultimately allowing them past. Meanwhile a receiver goes to the place where the defensive line started. The quarterback passes to receiver just before defensive line gets to him.

The Iraqi's have let the US come in and conquer. Now they wait for the troops to get comfortable, and grow weary. At the right time, they pounce when the trops the most vulnerable.

I fear that the worse of Iraq has yet to come.

Cheers
Drifter

[leftofthedial]

6. I agree the worst is yet to come

This is so wrong on every level.

[maggrwaggr]

7. Saddam was always extremely crafty

if he was anything.

I would agree 100%. The whole fall of Baghdad was kind of mysteriously quick and quiet. It smelled of something, just wasn't sure what.

rope a dope makes perfect sense.

[leftofthedial]

8. it was very mysterious

we got virtually no Iraqi casualty counts in the entire battle for Baghdad.

A million and a half troops just seemed to vanish.

And now with each passing day we give them another reason to hate us.