"I think we are winning. Okay? I think we're definitely winning. I think we've been winning for some time." - Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the Iraq War 04/26/05
"I just wonder if they will ever tell us the truth." - Harold Casey, Louisville, KY, October 2004.
I've just been browsing through the official National Strategy for Victory in Iraq (Nov 2005).
It's really just an extended set of Bush administration talking points. But it can make for some at least mildly interesting reading:
With democratization has come the emergence of new groups, not all of whom have shared the goal of a free, pluralistic, and democratic Iraq. Some groups – like members of the Mahdi Militia – have sought to maximize discontent with the Coalition presence and have at times clashed violently with other parties.
Muqtada al-Sadr's group - the "Mahdi Militia" in the Strategy's words - are now part of the Shi'a government we have been backing.
Do the leading groups in the government like SCIRI and Da'wa really share "goal of a free, pluralistic, and democratic Iraq"? It hasn't looked a lot like it lately.
The continued existence and influence of militias and armed groups, often affiliated with political parties, hamper the rule of law in some parts of Iraq. These groups have also infiltrated the police forces and sparked violent exchanges in areas of the country that are otherwise peaceful.
Those same militia and armed groups to a large extent are the Iraqi army and police forces.
"Wars are easy to get into, but hard as hell to get out of." - George McGovern and Jim McGovern 06/06/05
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