[TheConservator]

Comments?

[Redcloak]

Bash here. There's evidence that northern units are either moving south or sending elements south. A hole could open up west of Al Fallujah. (Or, if the Iraqis are actually lurking here for pointers, troops that could be used further south are guarding an area the Americans aren't interested in... Decisions, decisions.)

[Born to Conserve]

If you were Saddam, where would you go on the web for the best and most up to date news?

See where I'm leading here?

[WOSG]

So far, our guys have been pretty smart and I dont think they are done yet with their surprises.
An attack from the west is IMHO smart if the logistics can be supported. It's hard to hide a whole division, yet ideally having the 4th ID charge through or having the ranger drop into baghdad airport would be an interesting surprise.

i am sure our guys have the options laid out and dont have just one way to do it. We'll see.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

Fact one: The coalition captured the H2 and H3 airfields in western Iraq on the first day of the war. And they took care to bomb the refueling station that is halfway between Baghdad and the Jordanian border--a target seemingly of no immediate military significance.

You may be right on the whole. But there was immediate military significance -- or perhaps political significance -- in doing so. It made it much more difficult for Iraq to attack Israel with missiles.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I predict from the east.

[not-an-ostrich]

What is the background on these tidbits about a missing Marine Expedtionary Force I've been reading about on FR? Do we know if and when it was deployed? Where is it based in the States? Isn't deployment information widely reported?

[Semper911]

Your thinking is like mine, only yours is much more complex. Nice work.

I might add that a few days ago the Kurdish commanders were complaining that not enough targets were being taken out. Total misinfo, to make the North look weak.

p.s. I always believed that the Turkey "resistance" was a ruse from the start. There has been a constant stream of good guys pouring in from the north since day one, in my opinion.

And, might I add, who decided where the embedded reporters would be situated? The Pentagon, of course. All the news is coming out of the South, so it seems as though all the strength is there.

Those reporters have not been invited to the party as a jesture of good will. They are part of the plan. A very important part. A brilliant part.

How many times have you heard General Franks say, "Trust the reports of the embedded reporters" ?

(And don't even get me started on the reports that we don't have enough boots on the ground. All part of the plan.)

[edwin hubble]

This seems to be a good idea...because several have thought of it.

Here is an excellent and detailed analysis of a similar plan. (It was a vanity moved to chat). Read carefully.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/879184/posts

[ambrose]

Bump

[Leatherneck_MT]

I think this is a well thought out strategy and quite possible what will happen.

During the Gulf war everyone wsa fixated by the lines of coalition and Iraqi soldiers facing one another. Most if not all of the Media kept expecting us to run straight at them hey diddle straight up the middle. After looking at the map of suspected Iraqi positions I told my wife that what I would do is Land Marines north of Kuwait city, use that as a diversionary attack and then send armored elements out to hit the Iraqi left flank and roll it up, or bypass it and dive into the rear areas cutting off retreat.

I was stunned to see that this is almost precisely what they did. They just didn't land the Marines, they kept them on station to act as a threat to the Iraqi right rear.

Semper Fi