Is This The Answer?

The Bush administration is considering a plan to put America's awesome airpower at the disposal of Iraqi commanders, as a way of reducing the number of US troops on the ground. The plan is causing consternation among commanders in US air force, who say it could lead to increased civilian casualties and lead to airstrikes being used as means of settling old scores

I am not sold on this idea as of yet. I think a better answer would be to form a Iraqi air arm with around 50 cobra gunships and a influx of heavy arty to form the backbone of this iraqi attack force. This would give the iraqi army the ability to retake restive citys such as Ramadi and Haditha. I feel the new Iraqi army would be a bit more heavy handed with such issues.

Sounds like a terrible idea personally. The Iraqi army will use the US airpower as a kind of 'gods fist' against all and sundry. For all the critisism i have of the US it at least attempts to avoid causing genocide or to ignorantly slaughter civilians. I would not expect the same from an iraqi commander with a vested interest that is not in line with his governments using the U.S. airforce as his own.

Say he orders an attack on a 'terrorist convoy' something that could be rushed through the chain of command as a priority target but in fact a convoy of a prominent polititian, possibly even the president or prime minister.

CNN and BBC would have a field day... Not even Fox would be able to put a good spin on it.

"USAF PROVIDES AIR SUPPORT FOR AL QUAIDA COUP".... i can see the headlines already :roll: