Yes, This Appears To Be Achieving Every Announced Goal

Remember when we were supposed to give The Surge "more time"?

U.S. forces were drawn deeper into Iraq's four day-old crackdown on Shi'ite militants on Friday, launching air strikes in Basra for the first time and battling militants in Baghdad.

The fighting has exposed a rift within the majority Shi'ite community and put pressure on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose forces have failed to drive fighters loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr off the streets of Iraq's second-largest city.

Authorities shut down Baghdad with a strict curfew, but that did not halt rocket attacks and clashes in the capital.

Defense Minister Abdel Qader Jassim acknowledged that Iraqi security forces had been caught off-guard by their foes.

Operations Whack-a-mole And Moving Goalposts continue apace...

ntodd