Iraq

Apparently another member of the Hussein defense team has been killed. It makes me wonder if we will ever be “successful” there.

To have peace, enough people in Iraq need to want it. I know there are people who do. But are they enough? If the people on the “good” side assassinate people on the “bad” side, are they really good?

The situation is feeling more and more like Israel vs. Palestine, a conflict I feel the U.S. would do well to just avoid.

But I feel for the Iraqis who were so happy when Saddam was toppled, who are hurting now with power outages and explosions and shootings all around. They, to me, are the “real” Iraqis, the victims, the ones who are just trying to live their lives. Is there anything they can do for themselves? Is there anything we can really do to help them?

Edit: There’s also the allegation that Iraqi troops murdered American soldiers, and the news that over 80 Iraqis have apparently been abducted, to further brighten the general Iraq outlook.

Edit Again: According to papers released by the military, the Iraq branch of Al-Qaeda is worried.

In one of the newly released documents, an unidentified member of the group wrote that the cells in Baghdad are capable of only “hit and run” operations, leading the public to conclude that “the Shiites are stronger in Baghdad and nearer to controlling it,” while the mujahedeen “are not considered more than a daily annoyance to the Shiite government.”

[…]

The writer says that the American and Iraqi government forces “were able to absorb our painful blows,” enlist new recruits and “take control of Baghdad as well as other areas, one after the other.”

Rush Limbaugh further quotes the document as saying:

“There’s a clear absence of organization among the groups of brothers in Baghdad, the terrorists, insurgents, whether at the leadership level in Baghdad, the brigade leaders, or their groups therein. The policy followed by the brothers in Baghdad is a media oriented policy without a clear comprehensive plan to capture an area or an enemy center.”

Limbaugh’s take is, “Al-Qaeda Says They’re Losing, Media Ignores“. This information has been available since May 8; Limbaugh posted his piece on May 10.