Relative Period of Calm? My Ass!
Over the past couple of months -- since the, ahem, "election" in Iraq -- many Americans have let Iraq slip out of their consciousness. I don't want to sound alarmist but there is still a war going in Iraq, not to mention Afghanistan. If you want to know what's happening in Iraq I will recommend three places: Juan Cole, TomDispatch and Baghdad Burning. It may have been a relative calm for American soldiers, and to most of Americans that's all that matters, but Iraqis have still been dying at a furious pace. So, of course, the term relative calm is a relative term.

Here are a few articles that came out this weekend about Iraq that should be read:
Insurgent Violence Escalates In Iraq

Violence is escalating sharply in Iraq after a period of relative calm that followed the January elections. Bombings, ambushes and kidnappings targeting Iraqis and foreigners, both troops and civilians, have surged this month while the new Iraqi government is caught up in power struggles over cabinet positions.

Iraqi forces desert posts as insurgent attacks are stepped up

Iraqi army and police units are deserting their posts after the recent escalation in insurgent attacks, according to reports from around the country yesterday.

The end of a relative period of calm after the election has posed the first real test for the embryonic security forces since coalition troops started cutting back on their military operations in February.

Bloodied Marines Sound Off About Want of Armor and Men

Among those killed were Rafael Reynosa, a 28-year-old lance corporal from Santa Ana, Calif., whose wife was expecting twins, and Cody S. Calavan, a 19-year-old private first class from Lake Stevens, Wash., who had the Marine Corps motto, Semper Fidelis, tattooed across his back.

One other part in this article that I thought was interesting was this,

Capt. Kelly D. Royer took photos of Humvees in which his men died. He was removed from command, accused of being "dictatorial."

I think that is totally hilarious in the light of what this administration and it's lackeys are saying about John Bolton's style. I guess a Marine commander needs to be more diplomatic then the U. N. Ambassador?

One other thing to keep in mind. If there was, in fact, a "relative period of calm", why was there a "relative period of calm (RPC)"? Remember all the talk before the election in Iraq about the increase troop levels to help provide security for the election? Well those same troop levels are now being reduced. Could that be the reason the so called RPC is ending? So think about this: more troops better security, less troops worse security. Now does this administration want chaos or do they just not have enough troops to sustain that level of security? What do you think?
- posted by Mom/Dad @ 9:06 AM