Reading between the lines from a news report from Australia:
In the wake of the worst roadside bomb attack on US forces in Iraq since the war began, President George Bush told the American people that he was determined to "complete the mission".
(What he means is he’s entirely and completely willing for even more, eager, sincere, patriotic young Americans to sacrifice their bodies and lives in Iraq for him!)
But with 20 marines from the same unit killed in three days of fierce fighting against insurgents in north-western Iraq, a senior Pentagon general admitted at a sombre news conference that US forces were facing "a very lethal and adaptive enemy".
(An 'enemy' created by the US invasion of their country and who had not killed one single American since 1991. That was twelve, count ‘em, TWELVE years since the last American was killed in Iraq)
The explosion that killed 14 marines in Haditha on Wednesday was powerful enough to flip over the 25-tonne amphibious assault vehicle in which they were riding.
"We are seeing different techniques, different triggers and different ways of making their weapons more lethal," Brigadier-General Carter Ham said.
(Al Qaeda and their terrorist friends are licking their chops and fervently thanking Allah over and over for the recruitment bonanza handed to them by the unilateral US invasion of Iraq)
In the past 10 days, 43 US troops have been killed, 37 in the past week alone. The 20 marines killed were all from an army base in Ohio, most of them from small towns near the base.
(But not one single Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rove, or any Senator’s son or daughter was among them - in fact, none were among any of the 1820 sacrificed so far - and in fact pretty nigh impossible, since none have any family members serving there!)
A grim-faced Mr Bush, who had flown to Texas for the start of a five-week holiday, said he would continue to resist calls for a timetable to withdraw US forces from Iraq.
(But after all, why shouldn’t he? It’s not like HE’s putting his ass on the line anyway, its it? And, he's the "War President"!)
"These terrorists and insurgents will use brutal tactics because they're trying to shake the will of the United States of America," he said. "They want us to retreat. Make no mistake, we are at war."
(An illegal, unneeded, unnecessary and fraudulent "War" and totally useless waste of young American lives in the cause for Corporate greed)
There is little chance that Americans are in any doubt about that after the past week of bloodshed, which has brought the death toll of US forces to 1820 and no signs of any weakening in the attacks.
(Nope, got that right!)
The reaction and body language of senior military officers also suggest there is little hope that the US will be in a position to withdraw troops from Iraq any time soon.
(Yep, got that right too!)
Mr Bush said US forces would be withdrawn only when enough Iraqi forces had been trained to take control of the country's security.
(Funny thing - we've heard these same identical words before too - in the build-up to Vietnam! That war cost almost 60,000 American lives - and we're 3% of the way to that number now . . .)
Recent polls suggest that most Americans do not believe the Bush Administration has an effective plan for Iraq and most believe the war probably cannot be won. Mr Bush's approval rating has fallen to 48 per cent from 60 per cent in December.
(With the stranglehold the Neo-Cons seem to have on things, it could take a series of motivated lynch mobs to really change things for the good. At the very least our citizens must wake up and throw the frauds out of office!)
There were also signs this week that Republicans may pay a political cost in the mid-term congressional elections next year, with an Iraq war veteran coming within a few thousand votes of taking an overwhelmingly Republican congressional district in Ohio in a byelection.
(Well, that will be about six years too frigging late now, won’t it?)
Marine Major Paul Hackett, who volunteered for service in Iraq even though he was opposed to the war, cut the Republican share of the vote from 70 per cent to 52 per cent in a state that Mr Bush held with 64 per cent of the vote in November.
(Semper Fi Major! Makes me wonder if those Ohio folks wouldn't like to redo the '04 election now?)
The Administration still holds out hopes that if the political process in Iraq can meet the challenging timetable, with the constitution written by August 15, a referendum held to confirm it in October and general elections in December, the US could begin to pull out some troops next year.
(Even if we can now begin pulling some out - which I doubt - is the price worth it, and how many more deaths and young Americanss maimed forever will it take? Easy answer:
HELL NO!)
But there is growing acceptance in the White House that the war cannot be won by force and only a successful political outcome would allow the US to withdraw its forces in substantial numbers.
(There must be a growing political will to toss these frauds out and try a good lot of them for their war crimes too!)
