More trouble in Iraq
The third top official in Iraq has threatened to resign. Sunni Speaker of the Parliament Mashhadani has threatened to walk away from the "unity government."
I don't know if this is just a threat or a possible reality, but the rhetoric seems heated and coming from both sides. If he does leave, it'll be a huge blow to the legitimacy of the Iraqi government. And if you want to get into definitions of "civil war...."
Also, the Army is recalling the final 300 soldiers of the 172nd Stryker brigade to Baghdad. They've been home in Alaska for weeks, and now have to turn around and redeploy. They've already served their year, and are now being pulled back in for an extension with the possible threat of another after that.
Question: I know the Stryker units are the best available tool for an urban environment, but is the situation in Baghdad so dire that this is necessary? Are 300 troops going to turn the tide amidst Baghdad's 7 million?
(By the way, I'm sorry I'm doing so much Iraq lately, but I'm getting that bad feeling again that things are about to get still worse. Another bad sign is that the Iraq wire photos are drying up again. Even the local Iraqi stringers seem to be going only where there are troops.)
I don't know if this is just a threat or a possible reality, but the rhetoric seems heated and coming from both sides. If he does leave, it'll be a huge blow to the legitimacy of the Iraqi government. And if you want to get into definitions of "civil war...."
Also, the Army is recalling the final 300 soldiers of the 172nd Stryker brigade to Baghdad. They've been home in Alaska for weeks, and now have to turn around and redeploy. They've already served their year, and are now being pulled back in for an extension with the possible threat of another after that.
Question: I know the Stryker units are the best available tool for an urban environment, but is the situation in Baghdad so dire that this is necessary? Are 300 troops going to turn the tide amidst Baghdad's 7 million?
(By the way, I'm sorry I'm doing so much Iraq lately, but I'm getting that bad feeling again that things are about to get still worse. Another bad sign is that the Iraq wire photos are drying up again. Even the local Iraqi stringers seem to be going only where there are troops.)
posted by mikevotes at
5:47 PM
7 Comments:
Great point on the photos. I love your ability to note that peripheral indication of the war's ferocity. It's a compelling metric.
By
Bravo 2-1, at 6:54 PM
Well, I only notice because I troll those photos every day or two. I feel that it helps inform my opinions in a way beyond articles.
Every once in awhile, I think, "thank god for the internet." It really has changed the radical nut business. I've been able to leave my bare buld far behind.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 8:50 PM
That should be "bare bulb."
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 8:51 PM
It's good to have someone looking at Iraq, with so much else happening.
For the most part comment is redundant, but the interest is there.
By
Cartledge, at 9:27 PM
Yeah. The general post is somewhat redundant as well.
I mean, "Iraq is spiralling further down," is hardly revolutionary posting, but generally, the stuff that is "moving is what grabs my blogging interest, and right now Iraq is moving.
If it keeps up, it may even be a headline story again someday.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 9:37 PM
I wasn't using redundant as a put down! THe strength is blogging what interests you, then you hopefully cover it well.
You tend tro say what needs to be said on the issue, and I apreciate staying informed, if not engaged.
By
Cartledge, at 6:01 PM
I know. But the story itself is somewhat redundant. It's chronicling the known.
We all know more or less the general plot and how it's going to end, it's just that the specific turns.
We can see it's getting close, but it's hard to say which one's going to take it down.
By
mikevotes, at 6:15 PM
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