From: George Sherwood 

On Sat, 18 Mar 2006 09:27:26 -0600, John Cuccia wrote:

> On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 20:39:49 -0500, "Mark"
 wrote:
>
>>Is the rewrite what you'd prefer to read too John? Not me.
>
> Hmmm..."Operation Swarmer" is suddenly out of the news, no longer
> trumpted by the US government as an indication that we've "turned the
> corner" in Iraq.
>
> I believe that it was indeed a routine mission to clear an area that has
> already been cleared before and that US officials decided to to turn it
> into a PR exercise as part of the Bush Administration's new initiative
> to re-sell the war to America.
>
> I also believe that the Iraqi army has been infiltrated with people
> sympathetic to one militant group or another to such an extent that
> these kinds of missions will never be productive, because any potential
> targets have been warned well in advance.

Here is the actual link from the Government about "Operation
Swarmer".  So me where it is: "trumpted by the US government as
an indication that we've "turned the corner" in Iraq."  Not
the interpretation of the press, but as you said trumpted by the US
Government.

George

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/Releases/Mar/060316c.html

    Iraqi Security Forces and their Coalition partners launched the
    largest air assault operation since Operation Iraqi Freedom I today in
    southern Salah Ad Din province to clear a suspected insurgent
    operating area northeast of Samarra.

    Operation Swarmer began this morning with soldiers from the Iraqi
    Army's 1st Brigade, 4th Division, the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd
    Brigade Combat Team and the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade conducting a
    combined air and ground assault to isolate the objective area.

    Attack and assault aircraft provided aerial weapons support for the
    operation and also delivered troops from the Iraq Army's 4th Division,
    the Rakkasans from 1st and 3rd Battalions, 187th Infantry Regiment and
    the Hunters from 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment to multiple
    objectives. Forces from the 2nd Commando Brigade then completed a
    ground infiltration to secure numerous structures in the area.

    More than 1,500 Iraqi and Coalition troops, over 200 tactical
    vehicles, and more than 50 aircraft participated in the operation.

    Initial reports from the objective area indicate that a number of
    enemy weapons caches have been captured, containing artillery shells,
    explosives, IED-making materials, and military uniforms.

    The operation is expected to continue for several days as a thorough
    search of the objective area is conducted.

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