Signs Of Some Iraq 'Cease-Fire' Sense Suddenly Surfacing ?

Bloody hell, Mr Bush!

Boy, oh, boy!

Better hold on to your hat, sit or fall on a mat, and pour youself some (large) pretzels; preferably, pretty pronto.

We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but it seems there's been a sudden, serious outbreak of brains amongst some of your army brass trapped stuck fast locked down serving in Iraq.

US eyes cease-fires to end Iraq violence

Washington - The U.S. military is working more aggressively to forge cease-fires with Iraqi militants and quell the violence around Baghdad, judging that 80 percent of enemy combatants are "reconcilable," a top U.S. commander said Thursday.

However, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno also warned that he may not be able to make a full assessment of the situation in Iraq by September, as demanded by lawmakers.

Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, told Pentagon reporters by video conference that he is pressing his military officers to reach out to the tribes, to some small insurgent groups and to religious and political leaders to push them to stop the violence.

"We are talking about cease-fires, and maybe signing some things that say they won't conduct operations against the government of Iraq or against coalition forces," Odierno said from Camp Victory in Baghdad.

"We believe a large majority of groups within Iraq are reconcilable and are now interested in engaging with us. But more importantly, they want to engage and become a part of the government of Iraq."

Stemming the violence in and around the capital city is key to giving the Iraqi government time to stabilize and move toward reconciliation with the warring sectarian factions. That would then allow the U.S. to begin withdrawing troops.

Odierno said he believes that about 80 percent of the enemy fighters — including key Sunni insurgent groups and Shiite militia — could be brought into the political process.

Now, we want some time to try to take in this super-fresh information before commenting further.

So, while we're endeavouring to read, learn and inwardly digest - we strongly suggest you set yourself the same task.

Maybe you should start by reading this remarkable report in full.

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