It seems the simple presence of more troops in Iraq would reduce the opportunity for criminal activity.

We have sufficient troops for military activity but more appear to be needed for the police tactics that we have chosen.

I am not an expert on these things and I could be convinced otherwise by experts. The question does not appear to be getting attention. A statement from Bush that the commanders are getting what they ask for is not imo sufficient.

A lot of military gurus said the same thing when the war stalled for a few days last year. They were soon proved to be wrong. This may be also be a boondoggle but it seems different to me.

The plan for pacification should be made public. Here's what we need to do and here's how we will do it. Skip the secret details and we all know there will be tune ups from time to time but major questions like how many troops needed should be resolved.