LATEST SIGNS OF "PROGRESS" IN IRAQ

Damien Cave writes today in The New York Times that five soldiers died and three were reported missing in Iraq yesterday.

"A coordinated attack on seven American soldiers and an Iraqi Army interpreter Saturday morning south of Baghdad left five of them dead and three missing, the United States military said.

"The attack occurred near Mahmudiya, a rural area that is a stronghold of militants in Al Qaeda, and military officials said they were not sure if the interpreter was among the dead. That suggested that the five bodies found at the site of the attack, near two burned vehicles, were unrecognizable."

And Bush claims the United States is making "progress" in Iraq. What a load of bull. As Harry Reid said, the war in Iraq is lost.

If Bush and Cheney think there is "progress," I suggest they both volunteer their children for the U.S. military. Surely the Army will ship them off to the streets of Iraq. Let's see how they like being sacrificed on the altar of IEDs. Better yet, both Bush and Cheney should take up residence in Baghdad. We then can all observe how they fare.

One of the silliest comments about Iraq was made today by Sen. John Mc Cain on Meet the Press. Here is how Steve Benen at Talking Points Memo described McCain's comments:

"It was a credibility-killing moment for John McCain. Last month, the senator insisted that there are parts of Baghdad are (sic) safe for Americans to go for a stroll and that General Petraeus travels around the city "almost every day in a non-armed Humvee." Obviously, that was wrong. McCain took this to the next step, of course, when he went to a Baghdad market, surrounded himself with 100 soldiers, three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships, and then told reporters that was able to walk freely in Iraq's capital.


"Tim Russert asked him about this on Meet the Press this morning. McCain responded:
"I'll be glad to back to that market -- with or without military protection and Humvees, etc.""

Oh yeah, sure! John McCain walking in a Baghdad market all by himself. That would be something to see. Any one want to wager how long he would last?