Iraq War: is Bush team competent?

[The Duke]

The war is being as ran as well as any could do. These Iraqui resistance terrorists just won't come out and fight like real soldiers do.

Yeah, that was unforeseen. </sarcasm off>

My comment was somewhat stupid above. I think that any reconstruction in any nation is difficult, no matter who's in charge.

Your comment wasn't stupid, it was dead on.  These guys set up IEDs, blow up police recruitment centers, and hide in mosques.  Everytime we drag them into open battle, even urban battle, we kill them at a rate of 100-1 (like in Najaf a few weeks ago).

************************************************************

Anyway, I said that the Bush people are more incopetent than not.  My evidence?  Ask yourself how many soldiers would be killed if we tried to take Fallujah.  Now ask yourselves how many soldiers have been killed because we didn't take Fallujah.  Now you see.

At least he gets the big picture right.

[The Duke]

Philip, it 15 of 18 not 13 of 15 provinces.

FB, its true that there's violence throughout the country because there's no meaningful police force to control rampant crime, and what police there are are often very bribeable.  However, organized politically motivated violence is in fact largely confined to 3 provinces.

[The Duke]

Sammarra, Fallujah, and Baquba are the center of the insurgency.  Here is a map of provinces and major cities.



This puts only Anbar, Salahuddin, and Diyala in any kind of contest.  This is how I came to the 15 of 18 figure.  There is not one insurgent controlled city outside those 3 provinces.

Edit: I just realized my map didn't translate properly.  Sorry.

[The Duke]

Sammarra, Fallujah, and Baquba are the center of the insurgency.  Here is a map of provinces and major cities.

There is not one insurgent controlled city outside those 3 provinces.

You're comparing apples and oranges.

In your earlier statement you wrote,

However, organized politically motivated violence is in fact largely confined to 3 provinces.

Do insurgents need to control cities to engage in political violence?

The fact that the insurgents control any territory indicates the situation is very bad for the occupation forces. The insurgents could control no real estate and still be a problem.

Key word is organized.  An IED in southern iraq is not a sign of an organized militia controlling the area, so yes the organized violence is contained to three provinces.

When did I say the situation was good?  I didn't say that in this thread.  All I said was that the insurgency is contained to 3 provinces.  That is true.  I said the violence outside those 3 provinces was either apolitical or disorganized.