U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday Washington was disappointed with the Iraqi government's efforts to pass laws aimed at reconciling the country's warring factions.
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Gates arrived on a day when the U.S. military said it had completed its troop build-up to 160,000 soldiers. Nearly 30,000 extra troops have been sent to Iraq, mainly to secure Baghdad.
The effort has been costly for U.S soldiers. May was the third deadliest month for U.S. troops since the start of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, with 126 killed.
The military said on Friday that four more soldiers were killed on Thursday, taking the June toll to 42 and 3,519 in total since 2003.
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In its quarterly report on Iraq published this week, the Pentagon said it was too soon to assess the military crackdown. While violence was down in Baghdad, the overall level was unchanged in Iraq because militants had simply moved their bases outside the capital, it said.
I guess that none of the brain-trust that runs the Pentagram for His Most Exalted Preztleness has managed to figure out that if the troops are in Baghdad, you move your operations elsewhere. Because that kind of thinking could get you fired from your delightful do-nothing job, and all future political work for the RNC would be in jeopardy. Better to spend your time writing letters to Judge Walton on behalf of covicted felon Scooter Libby than worry about the effects of piss-poor policy and planning.
The mess in Mess O'Potamia won't get better anytime soon, but I do expect a news conference any day now where Beloved Leader urges all the "little people" to clap until our hands bleed.
