Ramadi battle kills 100-plus insurgents

CNN U.S. and Iraqi troops killed more than 100 insurgents last week in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, a U.S. Army officer said Monday. Two Iraqis also died in the fighting, said Col. John Gronski, commander of the U.S. Army's 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 28th Infantry Division. No Americans were killed.

100 insurgents, 2 Iraqis, 0 Americans killed. I wonder what this does to Zarqawi's plan to change to an army confronting the American and Iraqi armies, rather than killing innocent civilians (which made him unpopular). He has a choice: unpopular or dead.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to reach out to insurgents, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he has been meeting with seven armed groups in hopes of agreeing a deal to include them in Iraq's political process.

Ballots are better than bullets

None of these groups include people loyal to al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, according to a statement issued Sunday from Talabani's office.

I think the Grand Ayatollah Sistani is going to have to take care of that little popinjay

"These groups who are holding talks with the president are those who believe in a prosperous Iraq. Their will to fight America has waned," said a spokesman in the president's office.

If they are going to fight, they want someone easier to fight.

A source close to Talabani said the meetings have been under way for some time. The groups are realizing that Americans are not their true enemy, the source said, and that they have been "fighting the wrong enemy." "[These groups] are coming to the realization that one day the Americans will leave -- and that the most important thing is an Iraq that is free from Iranian influence," the source added.

Absolutely