Thursday, September 6, 2007

Surging in ... Anbar Province?

Bush visited Anbar Province this week, in a photo op that his handlers insisted was not. Now newspapers are reporting that Anbar demonstrates a modicum of success for the "surge." One problem with that analysis: the surge was not aimed at Anbar. The surge was supposed to make Baghdad safe. Here's what Bush had to say on January 10:

So I've committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq. The vast majority of them -- five brigades -- will be deployed to Baghdad. These troops will work alongside Iraqi units and be embedded in their formations. Our troops will have a well-defined mission: to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that Baghdad needs. ...

The Prime Minister understands this. Here is what he told his people just last week: "The Baghdad security plan will not provide a safe haven for any outlaws, regardless of [their] sectarian or political affiliation."

Not Anbar province -- Baghdad. Eight months later, Baghdad remains mired in violence.