Newsweek reports that the Pentagon is quietly debating a strategy for Iraq similar to what was done in El Salvador in the 80s. Namely, funding death squads.
Say, who's our Ambassador to Iraq these days? Oh yeah, it's John Negroponte, who used to be Ambassador to Honduras, where he was involved in - you guessed it - funding death squads. Probably just a coincidence, sure, but a pretty creepy coincidence.
One military source involved in the Pentagon debate . . . suggests that new offensive operations are needed that would create a fear of aiding the insurgency. "The Sunni population is paying no price for the support it is giving to the terrorists," he said. "From their point of view, it is cost-free. We have to change that equation."
Billmon puts this in it's proper context.
Now, war is an ugly, dirty business in any form, and covert operations aren't necessarily any worse than overt ones. What this development certainly highlights, though, is that our mission in Iraq, whatever that is these days, is a dismal failure. Semi-publicly considering the Salvadoran option shows how desperate our military leaders are. Contrast this with every word you've ever heard come out of the President's mouth.
