"Historic Day"

I can't find it on Google news yet but CENTCOM is using the phrase "historic day" to describe the entry into Baghdad and that should be in the headlines for this weekend.

Entering Baghdad with only a handful of casualties is significant.

The war is not over but there appears to have been a collapse of important Iraqi units and an overall will to fight. It has been obvious for days they had command and control problems. One priority of their military should have been to blow the bridges over the Tigris and Euphrates. That did not happen and in meeting engagements even Republican Guards were not able to significantly damage advancing forces. This was more important than the terrorist tactics that can only harass an army. An organized military should be able to at least slow and damage opposing forces and that was not happening.

There may be individual areas that could hold out for a month but as our forces meet the enemy they destroy him. I still foresee a difficult occupation, one suicide bombing a week or more. Winning the peace is the most important objective for this war. As Rumsfeld wants to keep military forces stationed in Iraq, this will be difficult.

Kristof agrees, the historic pattern for this is when we occupied Germany. I feel this will be worse because of the religious differences and the Islamic tradition of martyrdom.