Iraq's Tinkerbell Battalions

Once upon a time, there were three "level one" Iraqi army battalions (out of a total of 100) capable of fighting on their own, without direct US troop support. At least that was what the US military was telling the media last summer. Then, in September, the Pentagon did an about-face and announced there was actually only one level one-capable battalion. And yesterday the Pentagon once again downgraded its estimate of Iraqi army readiness, reporting there are now zero level-one battalions.

No Iraqi battalion capable of fighting without U.S. support [Pentagon reports].
The only Iraqi battalion capable of fighting without U.S. support has been downgraded to a level requiring them to fight with American troops backing them up, the Pentagon said Friday.

The battalion, made up of 700 to 800 Iraqi Army soldiers, has repeatedly been offered by the U.S. as an example of the growing independence of the Iraqi military.

The competence of the Iraqi military has been cited as a key factor in when U.S. troops will be able to return home.

"As we see more of these Iraqi forces in the lead, we will be able to continue with our stated strategy that says as Iraqi forces stand up, we will stand down," President Bush said last month.

The battalion, according to the Pentagon, was downgraded from "level one" to "level two" after a recent quarterly assessment of its capabilities....

A civil society that's breaking down; an army that can't stand up. In Iraq progress marches backward while George W Bush, from deep inside the bubble, claps on.