Meet the (Saddamist) Allies

Does this mean the Iraqis are standing up and that we can stand down now? Who gets to deliver the news to the American victims' families of these people to tell them that we're rewarding Saddamists with power and arms and that their family members died for no reason whatsoever? I doubt that task will fall to the Commander in Chief.

According to senior Iraqi Government official, who described the US military policy of partnering with Sunni groups as "nonsense":

"Every three months they have a new strategy. This is not only a distracting way to conduct policy, it is creating insecurity for all. I don't think these strategies have been thought through deeply. It is all about convenience," the official said, who spoke on condition of anonymity. [Emphasis mine: Gee, it sounds like a harebrained scheme that would be dreamed up by a right-winger!]

"In reality, they are forcing the Iraqi government and the Shi'a and the Kurds to reconcile with the Saddamists," the official added. "This is similar to going to the South in 1865 and forcing the Confederates to reconcile immediately with the Northerners. And this is not going to happen."

What? The quote above seems to be implying that Iraq is mired in a civil war. Can we use the word "Civil War" or do we need to wait until Karl Rove & George Bush give their approval?

Some of these groups, believed to be affiliated with such organizations as the Islamic Army or the 1920 Revolution Brigades, have received weapons and ammunition, usually through the Iraqi military, as well as transportation, food, handcuffs, and direct assistance from US soldiers. In Baghdad's Amiriyah neighborhood, a local group of Sunnis, the Baghdad Patriots, were driven around earlier this month in American and Iraqi vehicles and given approval by US forces to arrest suspected Al Qaeda in Iraq members.

Wild Bill, Smokey, Big Dog, Kender, or anyone else: do you guys have any opinion about the fact that the Bush Administration is arming Saddamists who have killed American troops? Do you think it's a good idea to arm groups called "The Islamic Army" or the "1920 Revolution Brigades"?