Al Qaeda on the Offensive

Bill Roggio reports on dire times in Iraq, and what can be done about it:

After a relative lull in major, mass casualty suicide attacks
inside Baghdad, al Qaeda in Iraq has gone on a major offensive inside the
capital city. Al Qaeda's latest suicide offensive began on April 13; the last
major bombing inside Baghdad was in a Shia market on March 29. Since April 13,
al Qaeda has struck at 11 high profile targets inside the city limits. The
targets have included the Iraqi Parliament, two of Baghdad's 11 bridges and Shia
markets. Under the readership of Abu Ayyub al-Masri Al Qaeda in Iraq is proving
agile in its ability to switch targets in Baghdad while continuing to strike at
sectarian fault lines outside the capital. The latest campaign threats to erode
the remaining support in America for the Baghdad Security Plan, which is still
ramping up.

All this has occurred before, as Bill details. But there's a new commander in Baghdad, who's prepared for just such an emergency:

Last year's inability to redeploy Iraqi Army units have been
resolved, and all Iraqi Army units have arrived into Baghdad as planned. The
corrupt Iraqi National Police brigades were pulled off the line, taken apart,
vetted and retrained. The U.S committed an additional five combat infantry
brigades, a combat aviation brigade and supporting units to Baghdad and the
outer belts. The rules of engagement were changed to give U.S. forces greater
flexibility to fight the insurgency. U.S. forces are no longer operating from
large bases and fighting a commuter insurgency, but instead are deploying into
forward bases inside Baghdad's neighborhoods.

Sounds like this may work, if only we maintain our will. Sadly, some in Congress seem all too eager to support the enemy's assault on democracy and freedom.