I am on record as having stated that Rumsfeld would never admit that more troops were needed in Iraq. Of course I was wrong. According to this article today in the Christian Science Monitor the Pentagon wants 10,000 more troops.

The 10,000 are supposedly needed to help guard the 9,000 polling places during the upcoming elections. That gives us the much needed 1.1112 extra guys or gals per polling place.

One of the biggest problems the military faces, Mr. Galloway reported in his piece above, is how to keep enough soldiers in places like Fallujah in order to prevent insurgents from coming back, while still pressuring them in other places in Iraq. There is also some confusion over the number of daily attacks since US troops entered Fallujah, with interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi saying the attacks have dropped to about 50 a day, with other sources, like Galloway, saying they have doubled to more than 100 a day.

It is conflicting reports like this that leave you wondering whether or not anybody really knows what is going on in Iraq.

In an interview with USA Today on Monday, Army Gen. John Abizaid, head of US Central Command and the top solider in Iraq and Afghanistan, said that US forces are not stretched too thin around the world, and warned countries like Iran and North Korea not to think they could take advantage of the situation.

With his hands full in Iraq and Afghanistan Abizaid still finds time to rattle his sabre at North Korea and Iran. It seems to me that if we are not stretched too thin in Iraq then there is no situation to take advantage of.

This should all get quite interesting towards the end of January.

Turn on FOX News and bring me the popcorn Mama. Things are really looking up in Iraq.