The Cheney "Final Solution" for Iraq

According to AlterNet Dick Cheney has a "final solution" US position for the Iraq war. It's called choosing sides. By backing the Shia government the US stands to compete directly with Iran for candyman for the Shia dominated government.
There is a few major hurdles to overcome. First, as Saudi Arabia told Cheney when they called him on the carpet, they will back the Sunni insurgency to prevent a massacre. The other sticking point is that Cheney's plan plays right into Iranian hands. Iran figures they will win a Iraqi civil war.

So, Dick Cheney is reportedly pushing for the U.S. to side with Iraq's Shiites to a much greater degree than we already have and give up on any squishy attempts to reach out to the Sunni minority [ht: Steve Benen]. Some are calling it the "80 percent solution" -- Shiites and Kurds are believed to make up about 80 percent of the Iraqi population.


Much more on that from Juan Cole, here.

Moderates in the region told me the resistance in Iraq is based on the U.S. occupation and a power grab by Persian controlled clerics. Blaming it all on Sunni-Shia tensions is not just incorrect, they say, it is exactly what Iran hopes, because it leaves them out.


[snip]Failure by the President to understand it's Persian versus Arab --- Iran versus Iraq--- has produced one disastrous decision after another. The solution, they believe, is obvious: strategically re-deploy US troops out of harm's way to close the Iranian border and stop the infiltration of Iranian agents into Iraq.


Arab leaders told me they estimate that as many as 14,000 Persians have infiltrated to run death squads who kill Arab Sunnis and incite a civil war ---- as cover for the real war--- Iran versus Iraq.


Unless we change course, the day will come when the only banner proclaiming Mission Accomplished will be flown by Iran. We can't let that happen.

And for the non-news of the day on Iraq, current military leaders confirm what the retired brass have been saying for a year. From washingtonpost.com.

Warning that the active-duty Army "will break" under the strain of today's war-zone rotations, the nation's top Army general yesterday called for expanding the force by 7,000 or more soldiers a year and lifting Pentagon restrictions on involuntary call-ups of Army National Guard and Army Reserve troops.

Meanwhile McCain is showing himself to be cut from the same "don't confuse me with the facts" cloth as Bush. Despite Iraqi leadership ambivalence for more troops, military brass warnings of a looming decline in readiness, Mc Cain pushing the military to send more of our sons and daughters into harms way. From the New York Times.

Senator John McCain said Thursday that American military commanders were discussing the possibility of adding as many as 10 more combat brigades — a maximum of about 35,000 troops — to “bring the situation under control” while Iraq’s divided political leaders seek solutions to the worsening bloodshed here.

Maybe 350,000 troops would make a difference.