The Surge Goes On

As the Senate does what it does best and talks and talks and talks...the war goes on:

From Greyhawk :

As for U.S. forces, one Brigade Combat Team (BCT) involved in "the surge" has been in place since late January:

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Jan. 22, 2007) - The 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team arrived in Baghdad last week as part of the first wave of a planned escalation of forces in Iraq's capital city.

The paratroopers from the 2nd "Falcon" Brigade, who had been based in Kuwait as a ready reserve since early January, are to be followed over the next several months by four more combat brigades, bolstering U.S. forces in Baghdad by approximately 20,000 Soldiers.

A second will join them soon. The 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division will depart for Iraq over the next few weeks. Technically part of "the surge", the brigade is actually deploying as scheduled months ago. The three remaining "surge" brigades will deploy in March, April and May, a few weeks ahead of their departure dates originally scheduled last fall.
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As the surge rolls on, congress continues to pretend to be ignorant of the entire plan.

Debate on rival nonbinding resolutions — notably, one spearheaded by Senator John Warner, Republican of Virginia, that opposes any troop buildup, and another, led by McCain, that supports the administration's planned increase — is to begin Monday.

Against a backdrop of surge troops already in combat - if rumors from Iraq are true.

To add to the fun, all Republican Senators, including John Warner, have pledged to block the Warner Resolution. Credit them with a great degree of intelligence only if in doing so they at last publicly acknowledge the surge for what it is.

Whatever happens, it's seems likely that news from Iraq will be prominent this week. Regardless of whether increased "security operations" in Baghdad begin or not, violent acts will occur. Twenty thousand additional troops are going in locked and loaded, and the enemy they'll confront is well aware of the enormous propaganda value of any action they take this week. As you read these words, American soldiers are counting ammunition, suicide bombers are preparing farewell videos, reporters are outlining stories, and speechwriters are typing furiously away.

As six million people in Baghdad wait and pray.

I wish them well.

UPDATE: from Pajamas Media

A bipartisan resolution opposing US President George W. Bush’s decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq failed to advance in the Senate on Monday, dealing a serious setback to critics of the war. The resolution, which needed 60 votes to begin Senate debate, got only 49, with 47 voting against.” (Ynet)

ABC News’ Breaking slot is currently playing this vote as: “REPUBLICAN MINORITY BLOCKS DEBATE IN U.S. SENATE ON IRAQ BUILDUP RESOLUTION”