Topic: The US Military
Is the US military finally getting things under control? Are the fledgling Iraqis security forces slowly beginning to make a difference? Recently, there have been enough "good" stories about these two questions that I think the Bush Administration might be getting ready to say that the insurgency, while still able to stage deadly attacks throughout the country, is breathing its last gasps.

I read a report the other day that noted that U.S. casualty data for March 2005 shows that only 39 American and coalition troops were killed during the month - the lowest total since February 2004. (However, Iraqi military losses are generally three times higher than US losses.) Military leaders are now stressing that the insurgency is relying more heavily on non-Iraqis, and attacks inside Baghdad have been slowly pushed out to the outskirts of the city. The United Kingdom's defense chiefs are reportedly planning to reduce the size of the British military force in Iraq from 9,000 to 3,500 troops within 12 months as part of a phased withdrawal from Iraq, and the US military will make a similar assessment this summer to determine if they can reduce the number of troops in Iraq. I have even seen a non-military planning document that seems to suggest that Iraq will leave its transitional stage by the beginning of 2007.

There are also odd little stories out there about local Iraqi who finally feel they can trusttrust their local police officers and members of the Iraqi military, and let's not forget that highly sensational story about a week ago where an average Iraqi stood up and took arms against a pack of insurgents that walked by his house. Some extreme anti-occupation Sunnis have even hinted that they want to become more engaged in the political process.

All of this could be easily spun by the Bush Administration to suggest that "success" is slowly emerging in Iraq. Maybe, just maybe, after two long violent years we might begin to see the first hints of the Bush Administration's "end game" for the occupation of Iraq in the coming weeks. Of course, one good Tet-style offensive by the insurgents and all these hints of optimism will come crashing down. Plus, there is enough bad things happening here to fill an aircraft carrier.