2008-01-28 U.S. Cash Diplomacy in Iraq Will Fail in the End

2008-01-28 \US occupation of Iraq\2008 US presidential race http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=83061 U.S. Cash Diplomacy in Iraq Will Fail in the End &ldquo;Of the many factors contributing to the reduction of U.S. casualties in Iraq, none has been more critical than the decision by the generals in Baghdad to pay more than 80,000 of Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgents a quarter of a billion dollars a year not to shoot at U.S. forces.&ldquo; This could certainly explain why "the surge is working" – but is it a legitimate trade? Obviously we can't maintain the peace this way indefinitely, but if it is a calculated strategic move which puts us in a better position for the long term, then it makes sense. Unfortunately, the main strategy it seems to support is one of defeating the Democrats.   