The big surge lie, or Iraq is imploding.

[cali]

Iraq is a fucking mess and the surge never worked. It may have tamped down violence a little for a short period of time, and fewer U.S. troops are dying, but the violence is still horrendous, and the political situation is as dire as ever. Yesterday, 35 Iraqi officials were arrested for plotting a coup against Maliki.

35 Iraq Officials Held in Raids on Key Ministry
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and TARIQ MAHER
Published: December 17, 2008
BAGHDAD — Up to 35 officials in the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior ranking as high as general have been arrested over the past three days with some of them accused of quietly working to reconstitute Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party, according to senior security officials in Baghdad.

The arrests, confirmed by officials from the Ministries of the Interior and National Security as well as the prime minister’s office, included four generals, one of whom, Gen. Ahmed Abu Raqeef, is the ministry’s director of internal affairs. The officials also said that the arrests had come at the hand of an elite counterterrorism force that reports directly to the office of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.



And here's the daily round up of violence from McClatchy:

Baghdad

- A double explosion in Nahda in downtown Baghdad has killed 18 people and injured 52 others around 11 a.m. A car bomb detonated first targeting a traffic police patrol followed by a roadside bomb in a distance in a crowded area where the main bus station in Baghdad is located. Among the casualties, three traffic policemen who were killed and eight others were wounded in that incident


Mosul

- A magnetic bomb detonated under a civilian car in Thawra neighborhood in Mosul city yesterday night( on Tuesday). Two people were killed who were inside that car.

- A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol in Palestine street (south Mosul). Two people were killed and four others wounded including two policemen.

Kirkuk

- Gunmen kidnapped a citizen of Ulamaa neighborhood in Kirkuk city yesterday night.

- Gunmen opened fire on a civilian car in Sikanian (north of Kirkuk) injuring the driver on Tuesday night.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/212/story/58014.html

[mdmc]

1. Well, to be fair, the surge worked a lot better then planning for

a cheap, easy war.. The whole 5-1-03 mission accomplished bs was a total failure.
The surge was better then the original plan.
And just about 95 years of surging, mission will be accomplished.

See, I knew it would not be easy. I knew this would be a 100 year sacrifice. That is why I opposed it from the start.

[cali]

2. All the surge has done is dampen the violence temporarily.

[mdmc]

4. that all we can hope for

to string together 100 years of temporarily dampened violence. If we keep it up for 100 years, we can win...

[SpiralHawk]

3. "But, but, but...I'm The Peacemaker. Smirk.' - Commander AWOL (R)

[SoCalDem]

5. Moqtada al Sadr's Mehdi Army is well rested from their "stand down"

No doubt they have been re-equipped from Iran, and have been paid by the US to NOT kill our soldiers..or failing that, by Iran..

When we finally start to settle back into bases away from cities, they will swoop in, and he will be their new Saddam..

The civil war had been held at bay, but not stopped.

The upper crusties have left Iraq...gone into exile..and the dead-enders are the ones left behind.. They are pissed, they have all lost someone they loved, and they are just biding their time..

[democrank]

6. Get with the program, Cali.

Ask any politician (except for a handful)and they`ll tell you the surge worked and victory is around the corner. Ask any mainstream media person (except for a handful)and they`ll tell you how wrong the naysayers were about us losing the "war" in Iraq.

Our own president recently said he was sorry any of our soldiers had to die, but they had to die. That about wraps it up. People had to die. A country had to be ruined. Lawless mercenaries had to be hired. Lies had to be told. Torture had to be used. Billions had to be spent. Citizens had go shopping.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. See How Simple It All Is?

You nailed it. Everything just "had to" happen. Don't have to explain anything in detail when we just are told "had to".

Now, let's go shopping.
GAC

[glowing]

8. My brother n law just got back in October.. He said, "if its getting better,

I haven't seen it." He actually thought it was getting harder for the convoys to deliver supplies. But if everyone thinks its better, oh well.. it get's them out of the sand box hell hole.

[kentuck]

9. It will probably happen right after their scheduled elections....

if they have elections. Maliki would prefer no elections. So would George W Bush and Cheney.