[aculeus]

On more than one occasion Gov. Maamoun, Sheikh Sattar and every military commander with whom I spoke, described the Police Training Teams (PTTs), Military Transition Teams (MTTs) and Civil Affairs Groups (CAGs) as unsung heroes and the keys to victory in Iraq.

Funny, the MSM never heard of this.

[MadIvan]

I heard a story recently which is very instructive. During the Vietnam war, the Americans and their South Korean allies had a very different approach to the locals. The Vietcong would launch mortars into American bases - while the Americans would fight back, there were no consequences to (most) villages known to harbour the Vietcong. The response was "nuanced" and "selective".

A similar attack made on a South Korean base received a different response. The Koreans made it clear to the village known to harbour the Vietcong that if there was another attack, the village would be decimated. This resolve was tested, the South Koreans were as good as their word, and it should come as no surprise that the Vietcong tended to leave the South Koreans alone.

I suggest that the Islamists are even more depraved than the Vietcong. As such, high minded tactics are even less likely to work in Iraq than they were in Vietnam.

Regards, Ivan

[Morgan in Denver]

I will believe Oliver North before I would consider anything John McCain or Joe Lieberman has to say.

[gruffwolf]

Poor Oliver, he just doesn't get it. In Washington, you never let facts interfere with political grandstanding.

Dummy.

</s>

[bnelson44]

Adding more trainers and helping the Iraqis to help themselves, is.

I think this will be part of the "surge"

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

Calling themselves "The Sons of Al Anbar," thousands of young Iraqi males have volunteered to defend their cities, villages, homes and families from terrorists.

Geez, I wonder why the New York Times doesn't report this?

[Darnright]

>Sending more U.S. combat troops is simply sending more targets.<

With the state of political correctness in this country today, the touchy-feely, read 'em their rights philosophy of our leadership, I have to agree with Colonel North.