The Good: The Iraqi presidency council has rescinded its veto on the Provincial Powers law. This will pave the way for provincial elections which will be key to fostering national reconciliation (since the last round of elections were mostly boycotted by the Sunnis). While political progress in Iraq is slower than molasses, it would be foolish to deny that any progress has taken place to bolster the anti-war meme that "The Surge has Failed". Interesting and lengthy piece on the Iraqi Security Forces cleaning house in Mosul from the New York Times. The big difference between this operation and previous offensives in Baqubah, Arab Jabour, Fallujah, and elsewhere, is that this one is mostly being conducted by the Iraqis. A good sign of transition. The Prime Minister visited the Sunni Baghdad neighborhood of Adhamiyah and offered some good words for the Sahwa members protecting the district from being besieged by Al-Qaeda. You probably won't see this type of encouraging behavior being highlighted anywhere in the American media (the link is from Voices of Iraq), but that doesn't mean it's not important.
The Bad: A soldier was killed in a non-combat related vehicle accident in Diyala province. A Marine has been charged with murder of a detainee in Fallujah back in '04. Damn, this type of incident does not help with the "hearts and minds" front. And another female suicide bomber in Diyala province. This shit needs to stop.
The Ugly: President Bush reaffirms that invading Iraq was the right thing to do. Man, this guy's hubris knows no bounds. How about acknowledging the poverty and violence that has engulfed this country as well and providing some solutions instead of just offering up cowboy-style speeches. A humble suggestion from one of your subordinates. Whatever, he's out in less than a year. Ton of coverage on the conclusion of 5 years after the invasion. I've offered up enough of my own two-bit opinion in previous posts. Let's hear yours.
What does it all mean?
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