US fears audacious offensive in Iraq

[seafan]

Source: UK Guardian

The White House has been warned of a surprise attack in Iraq over the next few weeks comparable to the Tet offensive that threatened to overwhelm US forces in Vietnam, according to a joint intelligence report published today.

A US defence official, briefing journalists ahead of publication, said US forces are braced for "a mini-Tet", the 1968 Vietnamese attack that caught US forces off-guard.

He predicted the attack could be timed to maximise political pressure on President George Bush when the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, goes to Congress to provide an up-to-date assessment of progress in the country.

The national intelligence estimate published today reflects the consensus of 16 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA and the military. Mr Bush was informed of its contents on Monday.
The 10-page summary, Prospects for Iraq's Stability, is the first such report since January, when Mr Bush announced his "surge" strategy.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2155162,00.html

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Just like Nam, right Mr. Bush?

[BeHereNow]

1. Iran will be blamed...just watch and see.

Cheney is running low on his daily blood cocktails
and is anxious to refresh his vault.
Look out Iran.
BHN

[Mnemosyne]

12. You can bet on it, BHN. Remember an article a couple years ago

by Scott Ritter? or Larry Johnson?, stating that feet were already on the ground in Iran? He said by June 2005 and the British did a study before that that found NO WEAPONS crossing the border. After June 2005, I bet we could track an increase in reports from "gov" that claim weapons found going through.

More freaking black-ops?! No wonder some days heads explode! lol

No surprises anymore, well, so far. When Congress signed off on Iran attack and agreed it may need done, that was it for me. They must have some complicity in something to vote the way many have - pukes and some dems.

Selling us out to protect their nasty asses. The few we can actually count on and take even a little comfort in what they say as being true, seems so infinitesimal. It must be We the People that rise to save this country, hell maybe the world as we knew it, and I fear too many are poisoned from the crap in the food, clothes, meds, toys, air, soil, water, etc..., the terrible apathy must be at least partially chemically induced and some will never wake up in time or at all.

Guess we need to scream louder for those that are too afraid or feel too hopeless. :sigh:

A long battle that isn't nearly over yet, thank the universe for people like you that keep shouting; though it feels as if we are shouting in a wind tunnel too often. :hug: Glad to have you as a comrade. :patriot: :toast: :smoke:

Sure hope it doesn't end up as comrade-in-arms, I hate violence, but if saving this country means a literal fight, I'm in. Sure will suck if it comes down to it though. :(

[Stanchetalarooni]

2. The news releases are already printed.

CNN already has the breaking footage on tape.
The powers that be are at it again and there is no end in sight.

[rodeodance]

3. I hope our troops just Bunker down

[Teaser]

4. my guess is that this is disinfo

when the attack doesn't materialize, what a brilliant success!

[iconoclastic cat]

6. I'd agree if all the most recent disinfo hadn't been failing so badly.

I'm wondering if this could be "true," either in a "false flag" sense or in the sense that they have actual intelligence (yeah, I know...unlikely).

[Oreo]

5. George wants to compare Iraq to Vietnam

Is this another "Bring it On" moment?

[iconoclastic cat]

7. Could this "attack" be an Iran setup or a Maliki-overthrow setup? nt

[defendandprotect]

8. Some of what has been happening is reminiscent of TET-like defensive attacks ---

500 dead last week in one blow -- wasn't that the figure????

[Joe for Clark]

9. I am sure it is true - we'd do the same thing.

Like politics has nothing to do with war - (sarcasam)

I am saying as loudly as I can -it is in the north - that is where this is breaking down.

It is breaking down there - and it is no surprise.

Look - if this was coming down - if - where you think they go (the arabs)- where we are concentrated - think these people are stupid?

Attacks up there Tikrit and north are more and more planned and coordinated. That blow in Bajil should have sent alarm bells ringing - if nothing else has - and they should have.

The military command better get this one right - and their record in this war ain't that good - to be kind.

This administration just might be able to spark an incident in Iran right now - You know Iran has "more than a few" soldiers sitting on the Kurdsih frontier - right now.

And they were shelling intermitently into Kurdistan - four straight days a week or so ago.

Everybody has their guns pointed at each other - this is a powder keg waiting for the match.

Joe

[bluestateguy]

10. I bet it doesn't happen

The insurgents (or whatever we are supposed to call them; I don't want to have that debate right now) like to keep us guessing. An offensive just before the WhitePetraeusHouse report would be too predictable.

[PATRICK]

22. They don't want

to take massive losses just to maybe boot the US out faster. They need their resources for civil war.
On the other hand should Bush offhandedly declare war on Iran the number of attacks by Shiites will swell
and we will be the primary focus of something worse than Tet because it will be fanatically spontaneous not based on Russian Communist strategy. Bush IS the WMD and bogeyman in every scenario and it will be he who provokes and insures the deaths of more Americans. The "surge" is hardly getting its feet wet in interfering with the civil struggles. The select campaigns irk and suppress civil strife in the times and places they occur- and at a defeating cost that is the whole point of a Tet sacrificial show. So many lies and illusions covering an unchanged mess with fairly [predictable results and fairly predictable old lies recast.

[Kagemusha]

11. Hey, people, wonder why violence is down 7 of the last 9 weeks there?

Because it's HOT in Iraq. And Bagdhad's had less than 4 hours of electricity per day, every day, often 1 or 2 only.

How conveeeeenient that the Petraeus report is being made in September, then. On 9/11 no less.

[bluestateguy]

15. It's actually the bloodiest summer since the war started

nt

[Kagemusha]

16. Yes, but it's not the bloodiest 2 months of the year, so they're touting that.

Which is cheap. Very cheap.

[endarkenment]

13. Oh look they are tetting out the trot offensive again.

Part of their NamViet theme week. What is truly offensive and audacious is that fucking liar Bush and his fucking criminal surge and the fucking congress that went along with it.

[Joe for Clark]

14. Well said!!!

[uppityperson]

17. "audacious offensive"? What a term!

like totally audacious, man. I'll be keeping my eyes out for this term, idea is not funny but the terminology.

[Posteritatis]

21. It's the polite, reserved ones that you gotta watch out for. (nt)

[bemildred]

18. It's almost like they have human intelligence, Captain ...

[FormerOstrich]

19. I can't help but remember a speech *

gave not long ago when he said it was going to be a bloody August. It was ominous at the time. As the end of August nears my stomach tightens a bit more each day. I'll be soo glad when the mad men are out of office!

[David__77]

20. Insurgents don't need military victories, they need political victories.

And they can get them too. They're just biding their time right now. Why militarily smash the US-installed Iraqi state when you can just let it collapse on itself.