``...why's he suddenly appearing so vulnerable that he's even receiving fire from parts of his own political base?'' .d.
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My guess would be that Iraq is near total collapse. Falluja is a disaster with too many atrocities to cover up and is completely uninhabitable. The US casualty rate climbs every time the US moves outside fortified compounds.
The Iraqi resistance can't mass enough force to rout the US, because if they try, they will get slaughtered. On the other hand the US controls nothing but the ground they stand on, and they can't extend that control. Stalemate. This is the quagmire phase. The balance of power is even. Anybody that moves, dies.
Just as the Iraqis are probably tearing each other apart internally over what to do next with the US, the US is tearing itself apart (behind closed doors) over what to do with Iraq. Rumsfeld is just the current whipping boy. First it was Powell, then Tenet, then a couple of generals, some neocon planners, now its back to Rumsfeld.
CG