Last week Bush said the fighting in Basra showed the surge was working. The fighting has stopped

[NNN0LHI]

Does that mean we are losing now?

Don

http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2008/04/sign-684-that-t.html

Do you remember a week or so ago when the Bush Administration suggested that the fighting in Basra was a sign that the surge was working. Here's a brief refresher:

The Pentagon said an eruption of violence in southern Iraq, where US-backed government forces were battling Shiite militias, was a “by-product of the success of the surge.” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said it showed that the Iraqi government and security forces were now confident enough to take the initiative against Shiite extremists in the southern port of Basra. “Citizens down there have been living in a city of chaos and corruption for some time and they and the prime minister clearly have had enough of it,” he said at a Pentagon press conference.

All hail the glorious surge and the new-found confidence of Prime Minister Maliki and Iraqi security forces! Let us dance a jig of delight and feast on the finest meats and cheeses as we celebrate this pivotal moment in Iraq! Oh, wait a minute . . .

More than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen either refused to fight or simply abandoned their posts during the inconclusive assault against Shiite militias in Basra last week, a senior Iraqi government official said Thursday. Iraqi military officials said the group included dozens of officers, including at least two senior field commanders in the battle.