Army of stealth

US fights Iraq fire with street fighters

Iraq's future now seems to be in the hands of militias, under the command of the US on the one side and militias under the command of the resistance on the other; reminiscent of wartime Lebanon and Vietnam.

An ominous sign for Iraqis.

After seeing so many of the Iraqi army recruits killed, a high profile failure of policy, the 'story' has to change.

By arming a proxy force which is less visible to the media, the U.S. are setting themselves up for the long haul (of course, f*cking of course!). Meanwhile their presence in the country will serve to fuel the anti-occupation groups.

I can't see either side backing down for a long while.

The key for the U.S. Admin's domestic popularity is to get their troops out of the firing line and 'regular' Iraqis into it.