"On The Fly" Iraq Offensive Surprised U.S.

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CBS News

The U.S. military is sending advisers down to Basra to help the Iraqi army coordinate an operation which American officers say was "put together on the fly" and has degenerated into a stalemate.

These officers complain Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki acted "impulsively" in ordering an offensive his army was not prepared to conduct, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

The Iraqis didn't ask permission, they just went, which seems to have caught President Bush by surprise.

"You know, I'm not exactly sure what triggered the prime minister's response, but nevertheless he made the decision to move and we'll help him," Mr. Bush said.



Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/28/eveningnews/main3978762.shtml

[thunder rising]

1. how about ... it's sectarian and the national forces are one sect and the Basra militia is another.

[TomInTib]

2. This is turning into a Monty Python skit.

"No decisions have been made, but one U.S. official said many of the successes of the past 12 months are in danger of being cancelled out."

Yeah, I would like to see that list.

[islandmkl]

3. " many of the successes of the past 12 months..."

grammatical misuse of a plural...

plu·ral (plrl)
adj.:
Grammar Of or being a grammatical form that designates more than one of the things specified.

seems they should have used a singular reference, as in:

"the one success of the past 12 months..."

...whatever THAT was.....

[frogcycle]

7. well, staying for 12 months, obviously

Gorblimy! Do I always have to state the bleeding obvious?

[unkachuck]

6. I wonder....

....if it will end like the Funniest Joke in the World skit?

"Commentator (Eric Idle): In 1945 Peace broke out. It was the end of the Joke. Joke warfare was banned at a special session of the Geneva Convention, and in 1950 the last remaining copy of the joke was laid to rest here in the Berkshire countryside, never to be told again.

(He walks away revealing a monument on which is written: 'To the unknown Joke'. Camera pulls away slowly through idyllic setting. Patriotic music reaches crescendo.)"

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

13. Wool pulled over American's eyes #1 success.

[old guy]

4. A real load of BS.

Maliki doesn't go to the mens room without permission. The US orchestrated this and now that it has fallen apart they are making the Iraqis the fall guys. When this all started * was bragging about defining moments, now all of a sudden he doesn't know whats going on? Puleeze!!

[gateley]

5. Another thing that catches Bush by surprise. Like the looming $4/gal gas prices. nt

[calimary]

8. This is becoming ridiculous. Some people say bush doesn't know shit from Shinola.

I doubt he knows shit OR Shinola.

Clueless in the Oval Office, Inc.

We now have it confirmed: America has a baboon at the helm of the ship of state. With apologies to real baboons everywhere.

[SpiralHawk]

14. "I resemble that remark." - Commander AWOL

"You seem to forget, Calimary, that I am the DECIDER-in-Chief. So pipe down and let me get on with my Brilliant, but surprising even to me, Military Strategery. I am doing a heckuva job. Smirk."

- Commander AWOL

[calimary]

18. ROFL!

Captain Codpiece looks like he didn't sufficiently stuff himself there...

:rofl: :spray: :headbang:

[msongs]

9. the lie that iraq is independent: "The Iraqis didn't ask permission, they just went..." nt

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. Total bullshit: they're disclaiming it because it's a clusterfuck

This was designed to whip up sentiment against Iran. Was it just by accident that McCain was prattling on about Iran arming "extremists" last week, just before this offensive/crackdown began?

Success has a million fathers, while failure is an orphan. Malaki better get that red curly wig ready, cuz he's gonna be singing about tomorrow. You're only a day away...

[Amonester]

11. ...caught the miserable failure by surprise = impossible!

[Strelnikov_]

12. "The Iraqis didn't ask permission, . . "

But I thought they were a sovereign nation. You know, they've been given sovereignty, and they're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the US and Iraq is one between sovereign entities.

[JBoy]

20. LOL! I'd forgotten about that one.

[struggle4progress]

15. *doh*

[sendero]

16. More of the same in Iraq..

..... 4 steps forward, 3.9999 steps back. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[bklyncowgirl]

17. Does the Bush administration ever fail to be surprised about anything regarding Iraq.

First there was the looting, then the insurgency took them by surprise. Now they're surprised that in the face of his country going up in flames their puppet Al Maliki actually tried to, well you know, do something.

The problem is they seem to actually believe their own propeganda about how wonderfully the surge is working when anyone who'd studied the situation knew damn well that a great deal of the so called pacification of Baghdad was not only due to the addition of more U.S. troops but because Mouktada Al Sadr's Mahdi Army had pretty much decided to call a ceasefire.

Ceasefire's over.

Iraq is going to hell in a handbasket once again. The Iraqi government apparently decided to try and do something about it but failed to say "Please, can we try and stop this mess--you Americans aren't doing a terribly good job here"

Of course, since the Iraqi army, which we've been training and equiping for five years to the tune of untold millions of dollars couldn't fight a troop of cub scouts armed with pocket knives, it's turned the whole thing into a bigger mess.

I feel sorry for the next American President. Be it Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or even John McCain for that matter. This mess will not be fixed easily.

[Barrett808]

19. Isn't it widely believed that Cheney ordered Maliki to undertake the offensive?

Just sayin'.

[Strelnikov_]

21. I smell a rat

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