Is the latest counter attack in Falluja a military blunder for Bush?

[kentuck]

Up to this point, he has been dependent on the Shia's to keep the Iraqi Governing Council together, because they have been the majority and have been represented as such. Now that we have attacked the Shia as well as the Sunni, how will this affect the future of any coalition? Will the US ever be able to get the Shia's back into the coalition in any meaningful way?

Or has this counter attack by the US in Falluja created the conditions for chaos and turmoil for years to come? Have these latest attacks by the US ended whatever progress may have been made up to this point? Will this be recorded as a major military blunder that will prove to be the last nail in the coffin for the American occupation?

[billbuckhead]

1. Give any worthy adversary 3 days to reinforce and .....expect problems

Let's hope the casualties are lower than being reported.

[kentuck]

2. I'm thinking the military action may have destroyed any possible...

political settlement. As usual, we reacted in haste and anger and will pay a price.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

It is a lose-lose scenario.

If the area is "pacified" with the deaths of many Iraqis who then become martyrs, hatred of the Americans will become entrenched among the largest ethnic group in Iraq who will then become a determined resistance and source of revolt.

If many soldiers are lost, regardless of the slaughter of Iraqis, this will not play well with the American public who have become more and more aware that imperium doesn't come from a "cakewalk".

The bottom line is that empire building and conquest does not function well in a free democratic society that is able to vote the war machinery fueled by the blood of its sons out of power.

[Corgigal]

3. Actually we had a YEAR

to get this country up and running again. I think the Iraqi people have been patient with us. However the military, people in the streets of Iraq, never had enough people stationed there. We by doing stupid things like making sure the oil pipelines were running and not getting all the hospitals open in a few months, showed the Iraqi people why we are there. We burned are own bridge and now the young people , some just trying to get some cash to go through college, are going to bleed for it. Rumsfield should be fired over this.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. It will not happen, so we need to fire them ALL, in November. EOM

[NNN0LHI]

8. Bush never planned on leaving. Halliburton began building permanent...

...bases in Iraq soon after invading. A continued US military presence there was the plan from the beginning.

Don

[elperromagico]

9. Of course. How could the conquer the rest of the Middle East

without a base of operations?

[lastknowngood]

5. Much more of a blunder for the poor slobs on the ground as the

shrub "vacations" at the "ranch". Nero fiddled while Rome burned. The
emperor never changes.

[KittyWampus]

6. Not If There Were REAL Political Maneuvering Going On

My understanding is that the areas HAD to be brought under control but there should also be heavy duty POLITICAL stuff going on... and since Junior & Co. are stubborn and stupid... they are going to rely on the mistaken notion that Military Might will take care of the problems.

[roguevalley]

7. all of the above and the shrine in the city. god, i am just sick over this