Kurt Nimmo has blogged on this issue:

Neocons and Democrats Tussle over Long or Short “Surge” of Violence in Iraq
 http://kurtnimmo.com/?p=704

He concludes that:

"the neocons running the Iraq “war” are not interested in making a difference—they are primarily concerned with working up a violent lather that ultimately splits the nation into at least three distinct pieces. As well, they need troops positioned for the spillover effect of the coming attack against Iran..."

The World Socialist Web Site are also covering this:

More US troops to Kuwait, as Bush moves to escalate the war in Iraq
 http://wsws.org/articles/2006/dec2006/iraq-d30.shtml

They conclude that:

"The mid-term elections in November, which ended Republican control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, were a popular repudiation of the Bush administration and the Iraq war. It is clear, however, that elections will not bring an end to the war or the policies of neo-colonialism and militarism of which it is a part so long as political life in the US continues to be monopolized by two parties of the US corporate-financial elite."

And it's interesting to look at some of the comments that Roy Hattersley's article in the Guardian, "What has long been a catastrophic tragedy is also now a horrific farce" has attacted -- many are far more insightful that and actual article, for example:

"So what do we do Roy?

When we have powerful corporations (mainly US) with their tens of thousands of covert operatives running wild in Iraq as in the Congo and elsewhere where there are natural resources or US (and other) strategic interests, what can be done?

I am all for withdrawal as I believe it is being used as a cover. Even if we withdraw all troops, the mercenaries and operatives, the arms shipments and the multi-million dollar 'business' of the 'insurgency' will continue.

Don't you agree that tackling the roots of the problems we created is the way to go? Starting with opening up US/UK government secret files and pulling back our special operatives, reigning in/expelling all foreign corporations and their contractors and military operatives.

It is a nonsense to imagine the Iraqi government holds any control as the people on the ground will tell you. The US has seized control of every ministry in Iraq set up bases interfered in every aspect of their organisation and hindered any attempt at restoring operations.

We have a US/UK military who are actively seeking to prevent restoration of normal processes. I know people there who work or who know people working in health, agriculture, education, engineering - all have similar experiences. All will tell you the US is doing its utmost to destroy/prevent any kind of attempt at restoration to pre-invasion normal operations.

It's actually worse - under the veil of the orchestrated and stage-managed bombings and chaos we are de-industrialising Iraq and kicking it back well and truly into the stone age - for that is how we prefer it. Put in place Hizb a-Tahrir cuckoo extremists when we finish to insure it stays in the stone age.

Or perhaps continue a troop build up and maintain a perpetual war bringing in the hundreds of billions of dollars profit each year. Soon people here will tire of the same old news and we can continue repressing the Iraqis with our inhumane and backward capitalist strategies and exterminate them with our DU and prevent any outside agencies desperate to help from reaching the Iraqis. Don't forget the Mehdi work for the US - they are part of our black op war on the Iraqi people. We not only created the mess, we are also feeding it."

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1978883,00.html

See also comments on the article from down under:

 http://blogs.theage.com.au/yoursay/archives/2006/12/an_unmitigated.html

The US / UK imperial alliance has lost the propaganda war across the world, all that can now be done, in the absence of effective anti-war demos in the west, is wait for the military defeat of the psycopathic imperial war machine:

US COULD FACE CATASTROPHIC MILITARY DEFEAT IN IRAQ
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/12/358546.html

Some might say bring it on, I wouldn't, there is no joy in unnecessary death, for the deaths on both sides are unnecessary, they are only necessary for the continuation of the insane oil based capitalism which is melting the ice caps and leading for further death and destruction -- did you hear that a giant ice island to due to disrupt shipping for years?

"An ice island the size of a small city is adrift in the Arctic after breaking free from one of Canada's largest ice shelves, scientists said today.

The ice island is 37 metres (120ft) thick and measures 9 miles by 3 miles, according to the CanWest News Service.

Laurie Weir, who monitors ice conditions for the Canadian Ice Service, said: "Over the next few years this ice island could drift into populated shipping routes. There's significant oil and gas development in this region as well, so we'll have to keep monitoring its location over the next few years."

Using US and Canadian satellite images, as well as data from seismic monitors, Professor Copland discovered that the ice shelf collapsed on the afternoon of August 13 2005."

 http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1979937,00.html