The US is training Iraqi police at the John Stennis Space Center

[ECH1969]

A group of Iraqi police officers has graduated from a riverine-warfare training course at Stennis Space Center after learning fighting techniques to be used in the Tigris River around Baghdad.

"They are a police unit, but they're going to be the only viable force on the (Tigris) river for some time," Bach said. "Initially, they're going to be supporting the whole counterterrorism campaign in Iraq, securing the waterways to make sure it's not an open highway for terrorists and insurgents to transport personnel and weapons."

For the students, it was a trip to Wal-Mart that left them in awe. "I think it kind of blew their mind. Maybe we should have taken them to a little mom-and-pop place first," Bach said. "They spent like four hours in there wanting to see everything."

Abu-ali said he won't soon forget his experience here or the friends he made. "We are going to take this (graduation) picture to Iraq and tell our friends the way they treated us right here," he said. "We feel like we were home."

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/local/15927454.htm
------------------------------------------------------------

Bush says we have to stay in Iraq to train the Iraqi military and police. The dems need to make a point after the election that the US can just as easily train Iraqi soldiers and police in the US.

[roody]

1. Why does Bach talk like a valley girl?

Were they in there for 4 hours or like 4 hours? Another Bushie?

[bananas]

2. The US Navy "will launch its first substantial river operations since Vietnam"

Interesting little tidbit in there:
"The Navy ... will launch its first substantial river operations since Vietnam when sailors take over for Marines on the Euphrates River."