Situation FUBAR: Still FUBAR

There's a big problem that usually arises when Americans try to form alliances with assorted factions in Iraq. First of all, the new allies often tend to be criminals, warlords, and other assorted unpleasant types. Second of all, these allies are sometimes unpopular among their own people. Third, the alliances don't hold because the Iraqis don't like being occupied by American troops any more than they like al Qaeda. And finally, these allies may turn out to be unreliable.

For a complete rundown of all the above points, see this latest WaPo piece.

As Swopa over at Needlenose puts it:

I can't begin to count how many times the U.S. has been hoodwinked into backing one side or another of an internal Iraqi squabble just because someone told them what they wanted to hear -- in this case, that it was OK to cede control of Anbar to the Sunni locals so the insufficient level of American troops could fail in Baghdad instead for a change.