Army, Marines write new field manual. Don't Have Enough Manpower to Implement New Plans

That lack of manpower sounds ominous.

I hope they look around Iraq and see that there are millions of unemployed men and women that need a better job than insurgency for Pete's sake.

The only other alternative is a draft.

Rebuilding is a big part of pacifying the nation, but security is needed before rebuilding can take place according to the big Bush campaign contributors who took billions for the job and failed.

But now the military seems to be saying they will use the troops (that they don't have enough of) to try to rebuild Iraq. I hope Halliburton isn't making money off this.

I guess that since the troops are stuck there anyway they might as well be building something. But I hope they keep in mind that they can hire some of the locals too.

In fact, the UN recommended that local enterprises be given the jobs of rebuilding. It is much cheaper and the people know the area, the supplies available and the necessary construction skills for that area. And the resultant products are utilities or hospitals of the kind that the locals are used to using, not hospitals with overpriced Italian marble floors, but in which the elevators kill people.

I still don't believe we will be in Iraq any longer than it takes to get the war on Iran started.

But if we can believe in fairy tales, this is the best one they've offered so far.

Houston Chronicle report on New Army and Marine Tactics.