As Iraqi Troops Stand Up, We'll Stand. . . um . . what?

It's almost funny.

In the last week George W. Bush has made four or five speeches about the so-called "war on terror" in Iraq. He keeps telling us how well the war is going. He keeps telling us that the Iraqi troops are being formed on schedule, that they are 70% complete, and that U.S. troops will stand down as the Iraqi army "stands up."

Hello. Wake up call.

The New York Times reports today a classified intelligence briefing says that without an infusion of a new division - that's 16,000 young men and women - Anbar province is lost.

That's not standing down. That's raising the bet.

If 70% of the planned Iraqi force is prepared for duty, then why haven't 70% of the U.S. troops come home? The Iraqi's ARE standing up, according to Bush's speeches, so why aren't U.S. troops standing down?

If the war is going well, and the Iraqi army is standing up, why do we need to put 16,000 more lives at risk? And why does Iraq need Iran's help to establish security and a "unified" Iraq (question, does that mean extermination of the Sunni population of Iraq?).