Earlier this morning on MSNBC a short line in their brief story on Cheney's visit to Iraq really caught my attention. After addressing US troops, Cheney observed Iraqi troops "without weapons."
I am assuming this was due to security concerns for the VP's visit. Having to disarm your allies for your own protection is not a desirable position to be in, and this perhaps lends credibility to the Murtha argument that the Iraqi troops will be more potent against the insurgency after US troop redeployment. As long as we allow them to keep their weapons when we leave.