There is an extremely disturbing item in the current USAID report on Iraq, considering (a) the venue - the principal official reporting vehicle on the Iraq War - and (b) the source - General Odierno, the second-in-command in Iraq and the iron fist to General Petraeus' velvet glove.  It is worth quoting in full (remember this is in the official State Department report):Shiite-Led Government Larger Threat than al-Qaida:Senior military commanders now portray the intransigence of Iraq's Shiite dominated government as the key threat facing the U.S. effort in Iraq, rather than al-Qaida terrorists, Sunni insurgents or Iranian-backed militias. Several U.S. military officials have expressed growing concern over the Iraqi government's failure to capitalize on sharp declines in attacks against U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians. A window of opportunity has opened for the government to reach out to its former foes, said Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the commander of day-to-day U.S. military...(Read Full Post)