Who is credited for the following statements regarding Al-Qaida in Iraq?
"Al-Qaida in Iraq, which did not exist as a coherent group before U.S. troops invaded in March 2003, probably now numbers no more than 6,000, according to U.S. intelligence estimates. It may have been closer to 10,000-strong before the severe pummeling it took last year, when it lost its main bases of Sunni Arab support."
Prior to yesterday the maximum number of Al Qaida in Iraq was reported to be 6000 and in January of 2007 just before the "SURGE" the number reported was less than 2000. So what am I to believe? Are there 4000 more bad guys in Iraq now than before the "SURGE"? When did the number of Al Qaida in Iraq reach 10,000? According to the news reports the "SURGE" has resulted in the capture or killing of about 1000 Al Qaida in Iraq. Does that mean there were 7000 Al Qaida in Iraq in March of 2007?
If the "NEW" numbers are accurate we have 165,000 Allied Troops and 400,000 Iraq Security Forces battling 7000 bad guys for a year and has only managed to eliminate 1000. Now I understand the Generals comment that they will "NEVER" be able to eliminate them all implying US Troops will be needed FOREVER.

Jim Frego

The surge is a mirage. It will "work" only until the different factions agree to chill out. The "success" is MCSame's and the corporate own media's propaganda.

Why don't we just make Iraq the 51st state? Then all the oil and the oil revenue would come to us and the Iraqis will pay federal taxes. Sounds like a plan!

Are people getting worked up again over another appearance by General BetrayUs? It's amusing how anti-war people are so easily deluded. Petraeus's boss, Admiral Fallon has just been forced to resign because he won't knuckle under to the attack Iran chorus, and now we have BetrayUs ready to testify again.

BetrayUs will make the case that we have to continue the surge (remember the surge was supposed to end last summer?) And of course, the media will continue to bury the fact that Ahmadinejad was just given a hero's welcome when he visited Iraq within the past few weeks. The surge has really brought immense political gains for the US, right? If you think Ahmadinejad receiving a hero's welcome is a political gain for the US. Despite this, the Administration will argue, and BetrayUs will support, maintaining the cowardly Iraq occupation at high troop levels.

They will argue that US casualties are down -- from between 20 and 25 dead per week to between 5 and 10 dead a week since the surge -- the only positive result of the surge, as the cowardly occupation continues to cost the lives and limbs of our young and Iraqis and now threatens to destroy our economy.

The media has cooperated in removing Iraq from the news. I guess beween five and ten dead young Americans per week is acceptable casualties to Russert, Matthews, Couric and company -- and obviously to BetrayUs.

Similarly the Democrats, who have always collaborated on continuing the war, continue to do so, with their two frontrunners both unwilling to commit to getting out all of the troops and contractors safely and immediately as they are still able to attract deluded anti-war voters despite both frontrunners' willingness to continue the occupation if they are elected.

Soon they will be singing the praises of General David (my-surge-made-Ahmadinejad-a-hero-in-Iraq) BetrayUs again with the most important safeguard against attacking Iran within the system -- Admiral Fallon -- now out of the equation.

I understand you moonbats only want one side of the story here at HP, but in the real world things are different.

"There is still much left to be accomplished in Iraq. But the successes of the men and women serving in this once explosive area of Baghdad cannot be overstated. Sitting here in Adhamiyah, one thing is certain: The surge has worked."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/14/AR2008031403231.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

OMG US Troops will be there FOREVER!
According to NBC Article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23638351
The U.S. and Iraqi government intent is to chip away at al-Qaida until it is reduced to "almost a nonentity," Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno said March 4 shortly after finishing his tour as the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq. "Unfortunately with these terrorist organizations, they will always be there at some level."
Demonstrating anew their remarkable staying power, the militants are thought to be behind attacks in recent days in Baghdad and beyond, including bombings in the capital March 7 that killed at least 68 people.
I do not know where the following Al Qaida strengths came from. Up until this article the maximum number of Al Qaida in Iraq that has been reported was 6000 in 2004-5. The most recent numbers reported was 2000 at the start of the surge in March 2007. Since the surge the US Military has claimed they have killed or captured about 1000 Al Qaida.
According to the General, Al-Qaida in Iraq, which did not exist as a coherent group before U.S. troops invaded in March 2003, probably now numbers no more than 6,000, according to U.S. intelligence estimates. It may have been closer to 10,000-strong before the severe pummeling it took last year, when it lost its main bases of Sunni Arab support. It controls no cities but is still active in pockets through much of central and northern Iraq.
If anyone can figure out how Al Qaida has grown by 4000 since the start of the surge please send me the links.

Isn't it interesting that a story about Slick Barry's religious beliefs that appeared just a few hours ago already has ten times more comments than this story about the war, which has been here all day?

You remember the war, don't you? You know, the war that Senators McCain, Clinton and Obama have all voted to keep going?

Gee you think Betrayus is finally after all his suck up years going to grow some balls, or is he just floating some BS to help him out in the future after the Bush Administration? This over rated and over promoted in rank prop and puppet and poster boy of of the Ruling Shadow Government Fascists Supremists has completely now lost any cover after the resignation of the true patriot and American Hero Admiral Fallon, who has basically singlehandedly kept Cheney and Company from the USA waging War with Iran. Betrayus has had for too long the luxury of puking out whatever the voodoo War on Terror potion he was told to administer for public consummption along with all the other fly by night cronies and crackpots and on the take politicians who want to rule the world and only hope to benefit themselves and do so with such adeptness and expertice because never do any of these people evr have to worry about the consequences with such a dumbded down and shamefully scared populus as Americans continually ingrain themselves to be. Human life and suffering means nothing to all of these leaders and their hacks, like Betrayus, because they are above conscience and consequences, unlike us un-elitie citizens who families must suffer and find strength to endure inspite of these decisions and orchestrations of dominion and control and to endeavor to help Our Republic rise up and stand once again.

Admiral Fallon had this guy Petraeus nailed with his perfect description of a new
Gollum, Bush's precious.

Here you see Iraq pushed to the bottom of the page. In newspapers it's pushed to the back page. On TV it's mostly unmentioned. But tomorrow is the day that represents the fifth anniversary of this insane, wasteful, and illegal war and there are vigil, demonstrations, and marches scheduled all over America. Go to one. Stand up, hold a sign, yell, let people remember and know that America is being destroyed from within and democracy cannot stand this any longer. We don't get many chances to show our beliefs as a country and people very often. Don't miss this opportunity. God bless America, land that I love, stand beside her and guide her.........

Petraeus had better be careful or he will be spending time with admiral Fallon in the unemployment line

That's okay - amuricans don't care about iraq anymore. That is so yesterday. How many soldiers have died? 500? How many Iraqis have died? 1,000? Oh never mind, I gotta figure out how to pay for my tank of gas and my gallon of milk.

Well since Afghanistan is a mess & now Iraq is an even bigger mess, the only logical step for bush is to push even harder for war with Iran.

Those stupid Iraqis just don't appreciate that they're not threatened by our old buddy Saddam anymore.

/sarcasm

Succeed or fail, we are stuck in Iraq.

Petraeus says the Surge has failed, so we have to stay in Iraq to help the police and army keep violence down.

But if Petraeus had said the Surge was a success, then we would have had to stay in Iraq to continue the success.

Iraq will never get back to any normal function until all invaders are out of there country, and let the Iraqis handle there own affairs. They do not need outsiders telling them what to do, Every country over there cannot handle there own affairs in there own backyards.