United States Intel report says Iraq is 'spiraling down'

The U.S. acknowledged today that Iraq is "spiraling downward." The new intel report says sectarian animosity is growing and Iraqi troops aren't being added fast enough. Democrats and even some Republicans acknowledged that the report is yet more proof that President Bush's Iraq policy is failing. Senate majority leader Harry Reid said of the report:

"I do not see anything so far in the report that suggests the president's new plan is a winning strategy that protects America's national interest."

According to the newly declassified portions of a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, the situation in that country could get worse in the next 18 months UNLESS the slide toward sectarian polarization, and a weakening central government is stopped. According to the Associated Press:

Security forces — particularly the police — will be "hard-pressed" to handle their new responsibilities because of divisions that are tearing apart Iraqi society, the assessment said.

Any further negative event such as the assassination of a religious leader could hasten deterioration, it said. "The challenges facing Iraqis are daunting."

Apparently, new Iraqi units are arriving in "insufficient numbers" with most units having only about 55 to 65 percent of intended troop numbers.

Representative Peter Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said the estimate "makes clear that we cannot continue the same stubborn strategy that has brought us to this point in Iraq."

So, the reason we're still there would be?