The Smarter Darren Bernard

Salon.com has a major story about how the military is ordering soldiers who are classified as medically unfit to serve to go back to Eye-Rack. Once it was that they'd allowed soldiers back to the shitmire who are otherwise injured, but this time they are literally dragging injured vets kicking and screaming into the War That Can't Be Won:

"This is not right," said Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, who has been ordered to Iraq even though he has a spine problem that doctors say would be damaged further by heavy Army protective gear. "This whole thing is about taking care of soldiers," he said angrily. "If you are fit to fight you are fit to fight. If you are not fit to fight, then you are not fit to fight."

Well I for one can understand the desperation behind this move. Back when Bush was going to have his Surgeâ„¢ no matter what, military commanders warily pointed out that WorstPresidentEver only has about 20,000 troops to play with.

Welp, today the Codpiece Commander has made official that his Surgeâ„¢ is going to get even Surgier, announcing that over 8,000 more troops will be needed to secure Eye-Rack and Afghanistan. I sure hope he is right about this. But then again, he was supposed to be right about the original Surgeâ„¢, which has only produced results like this:

BAGHDAD, March 11 — Sunni militants burned homes in a mixed city northeast of Baghdad on Saturday and Sunday, forcing dozens of families to flee and raising the specter of a new intimidation tactic in Iraq’s evolving civil war, Iraqi officials and witnesses said.

Militants also continued their campaign against Shiite pilgrims on Sunday, striking as the pilgrims returned home from the southern city of Karbala after observances there for the Arbaeen holiday drew millions of people over the weekend. The worst attack, a car bombing, killed at least 19 people in Baghdad as they were riding home from the south in a pickup.

Attackers burned both Sunni and Shiite homes in a neighborhood of Muqdadiya, a city of about 200,000 in Diyala Province, about 60 miles from Baghdad. There were differing reports about how many houses were affected. A security official in Diyala said that at least 30 houses were completely burned, including occupied and abandoned buildings, while a Sunni Arab politician from the area said that only six houses were destroyed. Some witnesses said as many as 100 houses were set on fire.

Victims from both sects blamed the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella organization for Sunni extremists that has taken over several other towns in the area. Residents said the group had recently demanded money, weapons and oaths of support from the local populace.

They said the burnings were intended to scare people into giving in or running away. Dozens of families fled the city, either left homeless by the attacks or terrified that they would be next.

“I left everything behind because I didn’t want to contribute to harming other Iraqis,� said Abu Muhammad Khailani, a Sunni, who said he escaped to a Shiite village for protection.

“I know why they want the money and weapons,� he said. “They will kill innocent people and do whatever it takes to reach their goals.�

The attacks reignited fears that Iraq is being hollowed out by efforts in some areas to drive out those who do not support an extremist sectarian agenda. Many mixed neighborhoods of Baghdad have already been transformed into homogenous enclaves, with both Shiites and Sunnis issuing death threats to the minority sect and even those who intermarry or maintain cross-sectarian friendships.

All I'm saying is that the Shiite militias are holding back to see what the Americans can do, and I'm not sure how long their patience is going to hold out.