BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Thousands of U.S. troops swept house-to-house through mostly Shiite areas virtually unopposed Wednesday in the opening phase of the long-awaited Baghdad security crackdown. But four U.S. soldiers were killed outside of the capital in an area not covered by the operation.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers and police set up new checkpoints across the city of 6 million people, snarling traffic and forcing people to walk across bridges jammed with cars and trucks.

The U.S. military said 14 suspects were detained and four weapons caches discovered during the day’s operation - seemingly a low tally. But U.S. officials say they are more concerned about establishing a long-term presence in the areas so that the public will gain confidence in security forces to protect them.

Full Story Here:
Baghdad Sweep Meets Little Resistance

From the above: ” But U.S. officials say they are more concerned about establishing a long-term presence in the areas so that the public will gain confidence in security forces to protect them.”, provided that “long term presence” is the responsibility of the Iraqi forces, I have NO problem with it, if it entails a “long term” U.S. presence, we have a problem, the Iraqis have got to stand for themselves, on their own…

Iraq’s Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashemi, warned that advance publicity on the security operation had given Shiite militias time to flee the city for bases elsewhere in the country.

Ya think?? Have ANY of these goofy asshats ever heard the term ‘Operational Security’?? I think not…

And you can bet that since they knew it was coming, right down to the when and where, they cut out, blew town and will stay that way until the heat is off, and as long as the bombs aren’t going off in Baghdad, the ‘Bush Bots’ will be patting themselves on the back and proclaiming ‘Mission Accomplished’ all over again…

The Baghdad neighborhoods targeted by the Americans - Shaab, Ur and Baida - lie north of the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City, which had been off-limits until Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki lifted his protection of the notorious Mahdi Army, the largest Shiite militia.

Last year, U.S. soldiers came under intense sniper fire in those neighborhoods from Mahdi Army militiamen who were expanding into Shiite areas outside Sadr City.

And these Mahdi Army clowns are not only the ‘prime’ players in this bullshit, they are also the ones the DoD and the White House wouldn’t let OUR Marines finish off because every time we engaged the bastards, they ran and hid in a mosque, and taking out a mosque just wouldn’t be politically correct now would it??

Staff Sgt. Michael James, 32, of Chillicothe, Mo., said the area in northeastern Baghdad had been targeted before but not in such force.  

“This is the final clearing. We’re trying to hit all the major hotspots. I don’t think it has ever been cleared as fully as it will be today,” said James, of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

James said he wasn’t surprised that the troops did find more as they hunkered down in a so-called Joint Security Station in the area for the night.

“It’s never clear. These guys are going to have safe-houses all over the place. Whenever we come into one area, I’m sure they just move on,” he said. “Just our presence alone is enough to push the bad guys out. They’re not stupid enough to fight an entire battalion, because they will lose.”

And as soon as the Iraqi government and the DoD tell the MSM that it’s over, and as soon as the insurgents are assured that the U.S. military has backed down, it’s ON again…  

This is an exercise in futility I think, one that will gain us nothing, and the really sad part of the whole thing is, the ‘bad guys’ KNEW we were coming, that part makes me sick…