Is the Bush surge plan in Iraq designed to kill more Americans?

Increasingly across Iraq, U.S. forces are leaving the comfort and safety of their fortified mega-bases and establishing small combat outposts and patrol bases like the one insurgents struck outside Baquba that left 20 soldiers wounded as well. Some patrol bases are well protected with blast walls and large numbers of troops. Others are little more than abandoned houses that a few platoons circle with Humvees while hunkering down inside. As a reporter frequently embedded with U.S. forces, I've visited many such patrol bases, and the sense of vulnerability at them is all too palpable. The paratroopers tasked with controlling the volatile territory on the outskirts of Baquba knew they would face attacks from insurgents in the area as they stepped up their presence by manning such patrol bases. But they saw little choice, since the ongoing surge strategy calls for U.S. forces to abandon the old notion of return-to-base patrols in favor of living full time in deadly areas.

I often wonder if Bush does not believe that the death of more American service men and women might anger the American people and make them want to kick some insurgent butt enough to support this war. If he does believe that then he is even more removed from reality then I could have possibly imagined.

You know the fact is that our troops main goal in Iraq is just to survive! It is as if they are being sent into a burning building and then congratulated for not getting burned right before they get back in line to try it again.

Nothing we are doing there right now is going to help the Iraqi people in the long run. We may be limiting the number of Iraqi deaths for the moment (though I am not completely convinced of this) but the end of this thing is a forgone conclusion. We are simply holding off the inevitable at the cost of our soldiers lives.

You know years ago when I studied the marital arts my instructor told me that with my skill I was honor bound to come to the aid of those who were unable to defend themselves against violence, but that if by doing so I would not be able to save them and would simply sacrifice myself needlessly then I was honor bound to focus on my own survival instead. To me that same criteria should be applied to our brave soldiers in Iraq.