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Battle for Baghdad Part Deux

US plans reenactment to mark anniversary.

WASHINGTON (XF) - The Xsociate Files has learned new details of a plan by the Bush administration which includes an influx of US troops into Iraq. According to a source who spoke to XF on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, these additional forces are needed as part of dramatic reenactment of the taking of Baghdad by US forces to mark the fourth anniversary of the event.

Though the White House has not officially announced any plans for an increase in the number of troops in Iraq, news reports have indicated that a "surge" of some sort is seriously being considered as an option. Sources say that it will begin in earnest after it is announced by President Bush in a speech next week and will take approximately four months to reach its peak. Hopes are that it will be completed by April so that the reenactment may proceed.

A spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is quoted as saying that his government would "fully cooperate with the Americans in all aspects of the reenactment."

"Operations to secure the city for the event and roundup volunteers to portray the Iraqi army have already commenced," the spokesman said.

Critics of the administration say that the move is merely a smoke screen for what is really an escalation of the conflict. Others consider it a PR offensive on the part of the Bush administration.

"He [Bush] just wants an excuse to break out the flight suit and codpiece one more time," one prominent political analyst said.

Indeed, not all details of the reenactment have been fully fleshed out. There is still talk of whether President Bush will reenact his now famous landing aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to mark the end of major combat operations. But XF was able to confirm that a stand-in for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who was executed late last month, has already been found.

(Filed at State of the Day)

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