Surprise Bush Visit To Iraq Is An Attempt To Salvage The So Far Failed Policy

President Bush's bold highly secretative surprise visit to Iraq is a serious attempt to salvage the so far failed Iraq War policy. It is a sign of faith and support for the new Iraqi government, as well as media ploy to seek a little more patience from the American public. Just today Congress has passed a new $95 billion dollar spending bill for the Iraq War, Afghanistan and some Katrina aid, just at a time that vital social services such as the Salvation Army are under going federal grant and aid cuts.

Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has made a decent attempt to appear as a serious moderate, and has appointed some Sunni Muslims to some high government posts as well. If his government can somehow succeed, then American troops can finally go home eventually.

All of this is not to say that the odds are likely against the new government of Nouri al-Maliki to succeed. British troops appear to have lost control to lawlessness in the vital oil producing province of Basra. Without this vital province under civil order, the economy of Iraq will remain flat despite some economic improvements in some areas such as Baghdad and support, investment and aid from many countries that even includes China. Many militia groups no doubt nearly rival the official Iraqi government in power. And in the mainly Sunni province of Anbar, a complete loss of control to insurgents, Baath loyalists and others has resulted in a rapid response force of 1,500 U.S. soldiers stationed in Kuwait to enter the province to rout the radicals.

While the treasure trove of information seized from the assault on Zaqawi has resulted in about 140 missions so far, Al Qaeda in Iraq was never the main problem in this troubled nation. At best estimates Al Qaeda in Iraq only comprises about 500 foreign fighters and 500 local Iraqi radical supporters. Sunni insurgents, Baath loyalists, Shiite militia groups such as the Wolf and Badr Brigades and Iranian backed Hezbollah fighters who are known for building the largest and most destructive type of roadside bombs, together involve hundreds of thousands of members and civilian supporters. But Al Qaeda does remain a major terrorist problem in Iraq because so much of their violence was directed at peaceful Shiite worshippers during their Friday holy day Mosque worship. With any containment of Al Qaeda violence, Shiiites feel a little more free to practice their faith.

The Iraq War policy was fatally flawed from the beginning. Whether it can possiby succeed is certainly highly in question. But most of the world community, not just the U.S. , wants to see peace and stability in Iraq. If it takes a highly secretative visit by President Bush, serious conversations with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and bold U.S. military moves such as the Zarqawi mission to give the younf Iraqi homegrown defense forces every possibility of success to stabilize things enough so that the Iraq at least has the remote possibility of success as a peaceful world community member, then these last ditch attempts are worth it. For now they stand as the best hopes that most U.S. troops can sometime in the near future be able to leave Iraq.