Things are going to get worse before they get better. That is, if they ever get better.
Washington - Anticipating a new burst of insurgent violence, the Pentagon plans to expand the U.S. force in Iraq to improve security for a planned October referendum and a December election.Although much public attention has been focused recently on the prospect of reducing U.S. forces next spring and summer, defense officials expect that troop levels will first have to be increased.
Lawrence Di Rita, spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, noted Monday that troop levels were raised in January during Iraq's first elections and returned to the current level of about 138,000 several weeks later.
No end in sight.