Comes the news that the Iraqi government plans to throw a security cordon around the city of Baghdad in an attempt to supress the runaway insurgency in the city.
The security cordon next week would be followed by similar anti-terrorism moves across the country, part of an effort to shift the government stance toward the insurgency from a defensive to an offensive position, said Interior Minister Bayan Jabr and Defense Minister Saadoun al-Duleimi.
"Next week, we will have a strong and safe cordon around Baghdad like a bracelet that surrounds the hand. We will not allow anyone to cross this cordon," al-Duleimi said.
Jabr said there would be 675 checkpoints plus mobile checkpoints to try to deter assailants in areas where attacks are frequent and cars are often booby-trapped.
"You will witness unprecedented security measures and none familiar to you," he said. "We have to work together, government and people, because security is for all the citizens, not just the government."
Add in the 10,000 US troops that are in Baghdad and are expected to provide a fire-fighting support role for the cordon and you have a total of about four divisions worth of troops and security forces.
That's at least three times the number of troops it took to capture the city in the first place!
Add in the thought that if an entire quarter of Iraq's inadequately trained security forces will be standing in a ring around Baghdad what's going to happen to the rest of the country meanwhile?
While the apologists of the Right who screamed along with the rush to a needless war highlight micro-stories but neglect the big picture, the simple truth is that saying "everything is going well" is increasingly delusional.
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