Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, spokesman for Multi-National Forces-Iraq, explained last week to Iraqi journalists curious about the import of the Iraq Study Group report that President Bush decides US policy in Iraq, not the ISG authors, or newly confirmed Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served on the ISG. Stars and Stripes reports that Caldwell explained, “Our President will consider it along with some other input he’s going to receive in deciding what adjustments, if any, he will make to our strategy.”
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…