From the report of the Iraq Study Group: “Both Iraqi and American leaders told us that, as Baghdad goes, so goes Iraq."

"The results of Operation Together Forward II [to control Baghdad] are disheartening . . . Security efforts will fail unless the Iraqis have both the capability to hold areas that have been cleared and the will to clear neighborhoods that are home to Shiite militias. U.S. forces can “clear” any neighborhood, but there are neither enough U.S. troops present nor enough support from Iraqi security forces to “hold” neighborhoods so cleared. The same holds true ...   more »