More on the Ground

Just google it-- all from one google page on july 12

National Review Online July 12,
W. Thomas Smith, Marine on the Hilltop

Which brings me to Iraq, the American soldiers involved, the antiwar crowd which condemns their efforts — yet contend they support the troops — and the feverish waving of the interim assessment of progress — or the lack thereof — being made on the ground (which began days before the assessment’s release, and two months before Gen. David Petraeus is to formally report on the status of operations and progress in Iraq).

The Economist online, July 12
The bloody stalemate persists

So Iraq is stuck in a military and political deadlock. American generals on the ground continue to urge patience. This week the overall commander, General David Petraeus, again noted that “the average counter-insurgency is somewhere around a nine- or a ten-year endeavour”. On the same day as the bomb in Amirli, he said he expected the insurgents to launch a series of sensational attacks, staging a “mini-Tet”—a reference to the offensive by the Viet Cong in 1968 that is often said to have persuaded the American people that the Vietnam war was unwinnable. The general is to present his assessment of the Iraq war to Congress in mid-September. But on present trends, he may not be given more than half a year to turn things round.

The Independent online July 11
The impossible task set for an embattled government

Politics in Iraq is largely stalemated. The "surge", the introduction of 22,000 more US troops, has had only a limited effect on the ground. Sectarian warfare between Shia and Sunni in the capital declined for a few months but then rose again. Baghdad is increasingly a Shia-dominated city. The US Army did not in the event confront the Shia militias, something it now demands the Iraqi government should do.

Financial Gazette (Harare) online July 11
via allafrica.com
Zimbabwe: Of Price Controls And the Social Contract

While the government has been blaming, threatening and cracking down on business, there has been no corresponding action on the ground by the government to create an enabling environment for the businesses to operate in and thrive. Government seems to be oblivious of the fact that the major driver of hyperinflation in Zimbabwe has not been profiteering and overcharging by business but rather excessive government expenditure and a budget deficit that is being financed largely through seigniorage. Government is simply playing the blame game by refusing culpability and responsibility for the crisis.

George Bush July 12 news conference
via Chicago Tribune online
Securing the nation will “create the conditions that will allow our troops to start coming home,’’ the president said, insisting that he will start withdrawing forces when “commanders on the ground’’ say conditions are right – “not because pollsters say it will be good politics.’’

Sen. Joe Biden at NAACP candidate forum, quoted in Detroit Free Press July 12

'There's more to do,' Obama tells adoring crowd at candidates' forum

Biden told the crowd that he is the best equipped to assume the presidency because of his experience and his plans.

In a subtle dig at Obama’s age, Biden said, “I’ve been around a while, and I’m old enough to remember the civil rights movement … And no one has a plan for dealing with the reality on the ground in Iraq. I’m the only candidate who's laid out a detailed plan to end the war in Iraq.”