This guy has been, trhoughout the War, a great source of actual, non-politicized, information. These groups cannot realistically expect to defeat the Coalition in direct combat. Any gains they make on the battlefield will be temporary, and extremely costly in terms of men and resources. They know this. The goal of this offensive, therefore, is not to take and hold any particular piece of territory in Iraq; but rather to create and reinforce the impression that the United States is bogged down in an increasingly costly and “unwinnable” war. The objective is nothing less than to break the American fighting spirit, and force an ignominious withdrawal from the Middle East. Their models are the American experience in Vietnam and the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan. In this goal, our enemies have found unlikely allies in the West amongst those who believe, for political or ideological reasons, that they stand to benefit from seeing the United States humbled and defeated. Check this one out: http://www.lt-smash.us/archives/002800.html#002800