U.S. Withdrawal Talk Silenced By Results Of Iraqi Offensive

McClatchy:

The Bush administration was caught off-guard by the first Iraqi-led military offensive since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a weeklong thrust in southern Iraq whose paltry results have silenced talk at the Pentagon of further U.S. troop withdrawals any time soon.

President Bush last week declared the offensive, which ended Sunday, "a defining moment" in Iraq's history.

That may prove to be true, but in recent days senior U.S. officials have backed away from the operation, which ended with Shiite militias still in place in Basra, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki possibly weakened and a de facto cease-fire brokered by an Iranian general.

"There is no empirical evidence that the Iraqi forces can stand up" on their own, a senior U.S. military official in Washington said, reflecting the frustration of some at the Pentagon. He and other military officials requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak for the record.

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[JoeBlough]

Why are you people so dense?

There is too much profit to be made on this occupation in Iraq. The economy is starting to tank here in America. The only industries that are recession-proof are those selling services and equipment to the government for this occupation. The Republicans are not about to end this cash-cow. 50-100% mark-ups on sales to the military and the government doesn’t bat an eye. The other day on this post, there was an article about some 22 year old with a government contract for 300 million dollars to supply 40 year old Soviet ammunition to Iraq.

With so much easy money to be made off the taxpayers, just to stay in Iraq, the ruling class will never give up the “war”. This is “mother’s milk” to the Republicans. That’s why McCain will stay the course for 100 years. With this commitment, the ruling class will get him elected one way or the other to continue the cash flow. It’s not about safety, it’s about MONEY!

[mydogshakespeare]

Violence in Iraq down: "The 'surge' is working. Viva la Surge!"

Violence in Iraq up: "The 'surge' is working. Viva la Surge!"