War

Friday update: US Army provides air support for Iraqi Army by dropping bombs on Mahdi Army neighborhoods. Otherwise, soldiers stationed in the green zone retreat to reinforced bunkers to avoid a now daily round of rockets and mortar fire. People fill the streets protesting the Maliki government and US occupation. Can't you see the light at the end of the tunnel now? At least the people on TV are informing Americans about what it all means. "This is a live shot of smoke rising from what remains of the Iraqi V.P.'s office located inside the fortified Green Zone. Proof the surge is working? Or, more evidence that Iran loves 'em some Al Qaida?"

Maliki extends deadline 10 days and offers money for the turning in of weapons. Look for an immediate cease-fire and political reconciliation in the coming days. Unless, of course, something unforeseen happens, like the flattening of Basra and a widespread escalation in violence.

Thursday afternoon update, courtesy of ClammyC: The short of it is that things are going from bad to worse quickly, and that many of the negative consequences to bad decisions that many people predicted are beginning to unfold.

Wednesday morning update: Maliki is giving Sadr's Mahdi Army three days to turn in weapons. Sadr is telling his militia, as well as Shia in general, to shut down the country through collective civil disobedience. Of course, he is controlling the violent uprising from behind the scenes. The Mahdi Army is not going to turn over its weapons at the end of the week (just as Maliki will not meet any of Sadr's demands), and the Iraqi army / police force and the U.S. military are going to engage the Mahdi Army in full battle. The reduced violence is at its end. The Sunni Awakening groups are growing restless at the same time.

Bush's War: Part II airs tonight. Much of Part I has been in previous documentaries, but some new whoppers are added, and the whole thing taken together is a bit of a jolt. I only wanted to put my head through the wall about nine times.

The Battle of Baghdad: Scroll down if you want to bypass the intro, which is also good. Schwartz provides a must-read summary and analysis of how the war has evolved inside of Baghdad for the past three years.

The Great Unraveling: DDay provides a scary guess about what's next. If you don't know anything about the Sunni "Awakening" groups, those are the ones we eventually agreed to stop killing and then armed so they would start securing their neighborhoods against jihadists / Al Qaida in Iraq. If you watch the PBS documentary and read the Schwartz piece, this last link will seem tame in its predictions. The next few days will be important. Maliki and Sadr are pressing each other.