Bob Bevelaqua was on Fox News this morning. I missed it, but I heard about it. As I’ve mentioned before, he is the military analyst I trust most. If he and Mansoor Ijaz agree on any issue, you can bet it is the correct assessment.
Bob is irate that the efforts in Iraq have bogged down due to a unilateral cease fire. He’s not quite at the level of “Kill ’em all and let God sort ’em out,” but he’s getting close. I expected the Marines to surround Fallujah, and pick at the city forcing insurgents to respond. Instead, we’ve surrounded the city and waited, afraid we might hurt civilians. The insurgents are doing the picking at their leisure.
In Najaf, we’re playing the waiting game with Shia insurgents aligned with a punk cleric. We are afraid to act because action might result in a broader fight.
One word is common: afraid.
Now, that is certainly not the correct word to describe what our leadership, both military and civilian, are feeling. But that is irrelevant. It is the word the enemy would use to describe it. When they sense fear, their power grows. We need to put an end to this whole situation.
The people of Fallujah will never support us. There is no way to win their hearts and minds. They never had either, they only had Saddam.
The Shia would like to run Iraq for a change (The UN still would prefer to see Sunni leadership). I don’t believe the majority of Iraqis want an Islamic government. But the concern is that if we take Sadr, more Shia will join his supporters. They won’t if we threaten them with a division of the country into Arab and Kurdish nations. That as an implication up front might settle it all down without the need for fighting.
What we cannot do is let this fester.