drove up to the Karbala Provincial Joint Coordination Center wearing uniforms similar to those worn by the U.S. military.

About a dozen U.S. troops were inside the compound at the time, al-Mishawi said.

Around 5:45 p.m., the gunmen cleared an Iraqi police checkpoint outside the center by flashing fake identification badges and speaking some English, al-Mishawi said.

Al-Mishawi said it is standard procedure for U.S. troops not to jointly man the checkpoint. He said U.S. personnel insist on passing without going through a security screening.

The attackers went through three checkpoints to enter the center, he said.

The first U.S. casualty in the attack was a soldier sitting in a Humvee outside a meeting of U.S. and Iraqi security officials.

The assailants targeted only U.S. soldiers, al-Mishawi said, adding that not a single Iraqi soldier or police officer was killed.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/...ala/index.html

Its been reported that President Bush wants to send in some extra troops. President Bush says " Steady as she goes, stay the course "

My question is what the hell was swirling inside Bush's head when he said, " Stay the course?"

That is the same thing Paris said to one of her boyfriends as she told him to step on it and put the sweater over your head; shut up and stay the course just before they got into that car accident...