I respect your interpretation McGrath, but I just don't agree with it. I see no evidence of the Bush administration preparing us for them to bring in international partners, be it the UN, Turkey, or anyone else. I do hope I'm dead wrong about that though, and that you are right.

This news certainly explains why the US commanders in Iraq requested reinforcements this week. In the meantime, it does put our forces at much greater risk.

It appears this past week's US fuck up in Fallujah was a result of new US commanders of the Iraqi battalion being newbies, and just rotated in on 1 April. But you'd think more seasoned higher ups would have stopped them from going into Fallujah under these circumstances. I mean, the murder of the 4 American mercenaries was retaliation for American troops having killed 15 Iraqis the week before. I remember thinking when I saw news reports that the US would "go in at a time and place of their choosing" to avenge the 4 mercenaries, I thought to myself "oh shit".

If the American commanders are so embittered against the Iraqis that they themselves are going in for vengeful, retaliatory, tit for tat attacks (as is the case with the Israelis) we have already lost this one, and the Iraqis are truly fucking screwed.