Omar says: [1]
Eyewitnesses in some volatile areas said that large numbers of militants have fled to Syria to avoid being trapped in the incoming security operations.
According to those witnesses, residents and shopkeepers are no longer concerned about militants whose existence in public used to bring on clashes that put the lives of civilians in danger.
A shopkeeper in al-Karkh [western Baghdad] said that many of them [militants] packed their stuff and headed to Syria to wait and see what the operations are going to be like.
While experts consider this a failure in protecting the plan’s secrecy which might lead to the loss of the surprise factor, they also say it indicates the seriousness and resolve in this plan that is already scaring away the militants.
It seems to me this also indicates the involvement in Syria in all of this. You may not remember, because the press hasn’t said anything about it since then, but it was Syria where long lines of trucks [2] loaded down with equipment were headed less than a week before we invaded Iraq. Equipment, one presumes, to make weapons of mass destruction.
I said when these plans for surge first came around, that the threat of the surge might be enough to settle a number of scores. It appears I was correct.
Now, I wonder the political ramifications of a victory there, here at home. I said it again last night ; the left in this country cannot withstand an American victory in Iraq. Since it now seems clear that’s exactly what were headed for, how will this play out, I wonder, here at home?
Just for laughs, let’s project even further; let’s imagine that the democrats actually attain the White House and retain the Congress. I consider the chances of that rather small of the moment, but let’s go with this just for laughs. The Democrats have been swearing up and down that the first thing they were going to do would be withdraw from the area. It’s dangerous I know, to take a Democrat at their word, but again, let’s just run with this.
So following a American victory in Iraq, under George W. Bush, we see the Democrats come along and commit premature withdrawal. Our “friends”… the ones being chased out just now to Syria… see the vacuum created by our leaving, and show up again, and raise hell with the neighborhood. More killing, more explosions. How would the Democrats avoid catching blame for that colossal error?