the New Saddam. General Saleh has a head start on the pack, since he is the first to be given control of a substantial force of hardened fighting men, and control of the inner region of a city. He is also described as "popular" among Iraqis.
In the photo of him shaking hands with an American officer as he enters the city, he is glaring at the American officer like he's a piece of shit. You can bet that particular photo op was seen by General Saleh as an opportunity for image-building anong Iraqis.
If the other Republican Guard generals want to win this competition, they need to play their cards right, which mostly means playing the Americans right until they have established their personal power base.
But make no mistake, the prize they are after is to become the New Saddam.
As more details emerge on the actual positions being "evacuated" by the Marines and the state of readiness and deployment of the Fallujah Brigade, a somewhat different picture emerges. This press release from the US Marines describes what the former Iraqi Army general will be taking over:
The unit assumed control of four checkpoints April 30 and has started patrolling Fallujah, he said. Yet, until the Iraqi battalion demonstrates a capacity to effectively man designated checkpoints and positions, Marines will continue to maintain a strong presence in and around Fallujah, said Kimmitt during a press briefing April 30. "We have assigned the Iraqi battalion to our least-engaged sector until they can get their feet on deck, absorb the weapons and equipment we are passing their way and prepare for the next phase of the operation," said Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, the I Marine Expeditionary Force commander.
These limited duties are not surprising, given that the new Iraqi Brigade barely has guns, uniforms or boots.
Salah does not see this as an opportunity to help American soldiers with their mission; he sees it as an opportunity to gain personal power in a future Iraq. There will be other Republican Guard officers who will feel the same, and that will be their primary motivation for "helping" us.
While I agree with your assessment on the motivations of some of the Iraqi Generals, I won't make any predictions based on news accounts, because things appear to be in a state of flux regarding the formation of the Iraqi security brigade. It now appears that Salah will be replaced as a brigade level commander by another General (I can't recall his name right now) who was reportedly exiled by Saddam. I think it's too early to call the effort a failure until a clearer, unfiltered picture of what is actually occuring emerges.
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