BAGHDAD, Iraq - "Two suicide bombers blew themselves up Tuesday in a crowd of Shiite pilgrims streaming toward the holy city of Karbala, killing up to 90 people in one of several attacks targeting the faithful ahead of a weekend holiday". Failure agian, more lives wasted, it's time to leave.

If the failure seen in this surge is success then it is clear there can be no failure so we should declare "Mission Accomplished" and bring the troops home! Ohh, wait, the president did that already! You say "Vicrory is failure, lies are truth, and the blood of our troops fighting to secure oil is the spread of democracy" I, like the majority of the nation, disagree, and it's time for change.

What a defeatist attitude. "Gee someone hit me hard and broke my nose... time to run away!". Good one, Fre, instead of clamping down and putting a stranglehold on the situation, you take the Brave Sir Robin tactic ... Run away, Run Away.

How quaint... comparing 3,300 lost souls to a punch in the nose. I'll bet that would make their families think again before entrusting the lives of their remaining children to the leadership of this nation. Which will of course make us much safer in the long run right? How about a different comparison? You up for that? Lets try how BushCo has tossed our troops into a wolves den, under armored and under manned... and refuses general after general until he finds one willing to speak the party line. Now, with the above analogy, wouldn't you agree... the people "looking out for the troops" would be best served to back up and defend Home first, Iraq second? That would not be BushCo's style... he's more into "Run the company into bankruptcy and blame someone else".

The "surge" caused these suicide bombers to kill fellow Muslims??? Seems to it had very little if anything to do with it...so how can you call it "a failure"? Besides...the surge has hardly even begun... They would be killing each other WITH or WITHOUT us there, and probably a hell of ALOT MORE without us there...so you can hardly say it's a "failure" at all!

There is only one measure of the success of the executive plan, as promised by the executive, a decrease in violence and deaths. The plan has failed to date, there is no doubt. Any justification for failure in performance leads to the same conclusion, the policy and plan has failed.

Let's see. On Dec. 26th, 2006 the CS Monitor reported Bush was going to back a troop surge. On Jan. 7th and 8th it was in the media that Bush was going to back a troop surge "this week", which meant the week ending the 13th of January, 2007. On January 22nd, 2007 The Independent announced that the first troops in President Bush's "Troop Surge" arrived yesterday. ABC reports that on February 16th the house rejected the troop surge in Iraq. Today is March 6th and I question whether the Troop surge actually took place yet.

A brigade is the smallest unit able to operate independently. It ranges from 1,500 to 3,500 troops. The second brigade was fast-tracked to Iraq, by-passing desert training. However the point of what I was saying is that troops also came home from Iraq since December, while other troops left for Iraq. So are these really "additional troops" or are they helping to make up for the troops who have left Iraq, or will be leaving Iraq in a relatively short period of time. Then you have the issue over the House rejected Bush's plan to consider. If congress refuses to fund this "so-called surge" then is it really a surge or is it just adding a couple thousand troops?

"So are these really "additional troops" or are they helping to make up for the troops who have left Iraq" Bush is the one who said he is adding troops. I made no judgement about it. You want to call him a liar then feel free. Did you read the link I cited? It is very specific about the numbers and what their purpose is. Bush set the number of 21,500. This troop surge will be completed in May. If the plan fails it will be Bush's failure.

There is only one measure of the success of the executive plan, as promised by the executive, a decrease in violence and deaths. The plan has failed to date, there is no doubt. Any justification for failure in performance leads to the same conclusion, the policy and plan has failed. ^^^^^^^^ More US soldiers were killed today by guess what? Many others wounded. The ratio of US troops wounded, maimed, injured, marred, bent out of shape, some for life, tucked away in hidden US military "hospital" "wards" around the country and world is 16 wounded to every one soldier killed, 16:1, and that ratio is the highest, even higher, much higher, than in WWII and Vietnam. Those are "hidden" facts, along with the uncounted and unreported number of US taxpayer-paid civilian mercenaries in the same roles in Iraq, and there are almost as many US-paid mercenaries in Iraq as US troops: http://news.netscape.com/story/2007/02/26/mercenaries-to-fill-iraq-troop-gap http://politics.netscape.com/story/2007/02/04/mercenaries-are-second-largest-force-in-iraq/ http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/13961

BTW, we want the surge to work, to help train the Iraqis so the US military is not in the middle of the ethno-sectarian conflicts, civil wars, blood lust revenge, terrorism, aggressive military assault, and all the rest by any names or definitions. Meanwhile our troops can eat McDonald's food and Pizza Hut at the US military bases there. Win for McDonalds, Exxon, Starbucks, Blackwater, Lockheed Martin and Stryker! What's good for 'mericans is good for Iraqis, plus they make good burger-makers. Leaking boots in a dry swamp ain't no sitz to be in.

Re: There is only one measure of the success of the executive plan, as promised by the executive, a decrease in violence and deaths. The plan has failed to date, there is no doubt. Any justification for failure in performance leads to the same conclusion, the policy and plan has failed. ====== Part of the problem appears to be that much analyses has been stating the obvious and perfunctory principles of success, AFTER the damage has occurred. It's that hindsight bias and outcome knowledge thing. This situation is this way because we really don't care about casualties, especially if they are Muslims. As long as we get ours, we will hind lick anyone who furthers our careers. Let's admit that we are being paid to rationalize the future. That's why mediocrity is AOK.

Re: There is only one measure of the success of the executive plan, as promised by the executive, a decrease in violence and deaths. The plan has failed to date, there is no doubt. Any justification for failure in performance leads to the same conclusion, the policy and plan has failed. ====== This situation is this way because we really don't care about casualties, especially if they are Muslims. As long as we get ours, we will hind lick anyone who furthers our careers. Let's admit that we are being paid to rationalize the future. That's why mediocrity is AOK. ^^^^^^^^ Our taxes - our money - is paying for both troops and mercenaries. The military is outsourcing to private companies to do things we think our government is doing. We are not supposed to be surprised or concerned by this and these. The "War on Terror" has become outsourced to private profiteers, from wherever and Texas. Do we support this? yes, paid spinners, out big time today and tonight to run damage control and flood. How much Texas methane can we inhale? How much money can we afford to pay?

Daily proof that the policy and plan have failed. "BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide bomber killed more than 30 people Wednesday in a popular cafe northeast of Baghdad, and three American soldiers died when a roadside bomb exploded northwest of the capital, authorities said"

A suicide bomber has not stopped anything, except perhaps some people and their ability to think. The only people cheering this perceived failure as you like to call it, are those invested in defeat, as I have heard from many learned people, and I have to agree.

How many must die before you admit the plan and policy is a complete failure. "The pilgrims are facing a string of attacks along the way that have claimed at least 174 lives in two days ? among 284 killed across Iraq since Tuesday." It's civil war and the responsibility for all the bloodshed is on the hands of the executive. Denial and spin no longer works, we must leave now.

"Iraq's deputy prime minister, a Sunni who crossed the country's sectarian divide to join the Shiite-led government, was gravely injured Friday in a suicide bombing at a mosque in the courtyard of his home, his chest pierced with shrapnel, authorities said. Nine people were reported killed in the attack." Surge = failure = our troops blood Bring the troops home now!!