corrente

Here's a great, great line:

me 5,000 U.S. Marines, British troops and Iraqi forces launched a new offensive Tuesday aimed at clearing a swath of insurgent hotbeds across a cluster of dusty, small towns south of Baghdad.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have come under repeated attacks by car bombs, rockets, and small arms fire in these areas in "an apparent attempt to divert attention" away from the former militant stronghold of Fallujah, the military said.
(via LA Times)

I love it... "An apparent attempt to divert attention"... Of course, the way we telegraphed the offensive (and held it back until after 11/3) it's obvious that only the insurgents who were strong contenders for the Darwin Award were still hanging out in Fallujah.

Oh, and more consequences of undermanning:

As the election approaches, U.S. commanders in Iraq probably will expand their troops by several thousand. Army units slated to depart are also being held back until after the election. There are now about 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

The backdoor draft continues...