NYTIMES
We can all read the headlines, and of course they are worse now than ever. One senses now, however, that a death spiral has begun. In the first place, since April 29, some 400 Iraqis have died, and wounded must be higher than that. Remember this is a small country; that level of casualties is horrific.
Further, US deaths, now over 1600, have taken another uptick: the number this week is still uncertain but probably at least 12. Attacks on "coalition forces" are now estimated as high as 70/day, up from 30 only a few months ago.
It gets uglier below the fold
A number of these US deaths have occurred in what was intended to be an "offensive" into northwestern Iraq, near the Syrian border. While the
Defense Department has not been particularly forthcoming, it appears the operation has been worse than a bust. The preliminary "body counts" announced while the first engagement was still underway appear to have been
grossly inflated. Instead of a hundred insurgents killed, the number may only be a dozen or less. A number of Marines have been killed in this expedition, a result eerily similar to the
disaster which occurred about a year ago in an almost identical effort to cut off infiltration routes from Syria.
Kidnappings are back in the headlines: in the past week, an Australian, a Japanese, and an Iraqi district governor have been kidnapped.
Infrastructure rebuilding has largely ground to a halt. Basic utilities continue in a primitive state. Water is contaminated with sewage and electrical power is available only intermittently. The inevitable corruption, waste and incompetence are being revealed. Photographs of children stoning US armored vehicles have replaced images of soldiers passing out candy.
Ominous statements are beginning to come from experienced observers outside the US government:
Those of us who have covered wars here and there over the past 15, 20, 25 years have to struggle to think of anywhere where we've seen such a relentless brutality," John Burns, a reporter for the New York Times said on
CNN.
"Of course, Pol Pot in Cambodia, Rwanda -- things on a much larger scale than this. But this is pretty bad."
:
"This just isn't under control," said Dana Allin, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London."
Most telling of all, General Richard Myers issued a statement yesterday which revealed for the first time a "shrug the shoulders" attitude, a bankruptcy of new ideas or even Bushspeak, to make the old ideas seem workable. This, in a week when it became clear that Army and Marine recruiters are missing their recruiting goals by wide and unsustainable margins, and recruiting abuses are rampant. Myers speculated that the insurgency in Iraq might last a DECADE ..
"Meanwhile, in Iraq the surge in terrorist attacks, many using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, generally involves "Iraqis blowing up Iraqis," Myers said.
"I don't know how (the insurgents) expect to curry favor with the Iraqi population when we have Iraqi-on-Iraqi violence," he said.
In response, Myers said, coalition forces are continuing their ongoing strategy, which he described as "to get the Iraqis in front of this process."
Polls show that Iraqis "are sick and tired of this violence" and are increasingly coming forward with intelligence about insurgent activity. "The intelligence is better and better every day from the Iraqis," Myers said.
The increase in violent attacks underscores the fact that the Iraqis and coalition are dealing with "a very violent insurgency" and "a thinking and adapting adversary," he said.
Their use of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, which Myers called "a very tough device to thwart," demonstrates their adaptability, he said.
Insurgencies typically last three to nine years, and countering the one in Iraq is a "tough fight," Myers said."
The Bush is willing, but the military is unable. It was an impossible job from the beginning, and now even the generals are beginning to admit it.
The Empire has no clothes.
Heave yuuu a license for this minkey? Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers), "The Return of the Pink Panther"
