Just kidding... it's easy to lose track of what day is what because there's no real weekend. Most people take it easy on Sun, but there's definitely no sense and excitement on Fri afternoon. Actually, some people are giving their sections Sat off because it's the 4th of July, but since there are no real celebrations or parties, all you can do is really sleep longer, watch some DVDs, or go work out. I may try to get the Iraqi guys out to play some football or ultimate frisbee.
Ah, crud. Going back to Baghdad for the 4th to attend a conference. Maybe it being such a big post, there'll be some festivities like more cheerleaders!
So, here's a few random thoughts and observations that came to me as I sat in on an assessment of the sector this morning:
* One of the key things we're moving towards here is a professionalized law enforcement and judicial system based on evidence, not just witness statements and confessions. So, a big part of this is building warrants, getting them approved by a judge who's got enough balls to not worry that someone will try to kill him or his family, and then partner with the Iraqi police or Army to go execute the warrant ("snatch the guy"). Problem is that after all of this, a lot of the suspects claim that they are not the ones on the warrant! There are endless variations of names and it's all real confusing, but the bottom line is that some dirtbags slide because of that technicality. So, the lifesaver is using biometrics (retina scans, fingerprints) to get people's identities right. The effort is around getting people into the database, and then getting a hit when they come up for a violation, etc. Since people tend to stay near their hometowns, if you get some guy who's not from his "hood", it's a good indication that he may be up to no good.
* The extremist groups have tried to increase their attacks on coalition forces as we moved combat forces out of the cities. Why? To try to claim credit for us leaving. Kind of the equivalent of the skinny loudmouth kid saying, "Yeah, that's right...better get your ass out of here." as the big guys are already leaving the room.
* It's tough to be the Iraqi Police. They already have a bad reputation because they are much more likely to either be corrupt or infiltrated and tied to the gangs or extremist groups. But, now, an IP chief can lose his job based not only on either of those two claims, but also if he doesn't go along with the politicians' political agendas.
* One major difference we're doing here is to consciously shift power from the traditional centers of influence -- the tribal sheiks -- to the elected officials of the Government of Iraq. It's the right move because we want to build legitimacy of the government. But, it feels a little forced -- is it really our job to meddle and change the shift of power? The mechanism is reconstruction funding. The US has done this for years....interestingly, there is little mention of this "soft" or non-kinetic power, which is really where the fight is now. The scary thing is what is the role of the sheiks now? If they become marginalized, there is the risk of them becoming anti-govt and therefore anti coalition force. The friend of my enemy is my enemy...
* The Iraqis dropped leaflets over Basrah yesterday celebrating the pullout and also urging residents to support the government. What is amazing is not the message or the delivery method, but that they did this without our urging and actually, without even coordinating with us. At initial blush, I'm sure some people were a little prickly about that, but when you think about it, that's really a good step. Goes back to that comment I mentioned about a week ago where a senior ranking American officer was given the door in his face when he tried to go to an Iraqi meeting. "Thanks but no thanks. This is an Iraqi meeting."
* In the immediate several weeks after the very important 30 June pullout which is going smoothly so far is addressing any report that we are violating the security agreement because this can be used to justify terrorist actions and attacks our credibility if not addressed immediately. So far, there have been several claims in the Iraqi media that so and so saw American troops in so and so neighborhood without Iraqi Army or Police around. So, it is important to have a battledrill ready to quickly respond and stand with the Iraqi security forces and say, "BS -- we did not do that." In the past the battle drills were just to respond to indirect and direct fire, now words and perceptions are just as damaging. Things like this really make me think that today's junior leaders have to be much more savvy and adaptive. No more lugheads going "Me like break. Me kill."
* My old friend Mike S would get a big kick out of the fact that I have now seem the word "nefarious" used in at least two briefings. So zany!
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