From an article posted on DEBKA.com reporting on the situation with Syria and the possibilty of a wider war.

In this regard, DEBKAfile’s military sources note four important points:
1. 1. It will not take place before President Bush is sworn in for his second term on January 20 or Iraq’s general election ten days later.
2. The Americans will not start out with a large-scale, orderly military offensive, but rather short in-and-out forays; small US and Iraqi special forces units will cross the border and raid bases housing Iraqi guerrillas or buses carrying them to the border. If these brief raids are ineffective, the Americans will upscale the action.
3. The Allawi government will formally request the United States to consign joint Iraqi-US forces for action against Syrian targets, so placing the US operation under the Baghdad government’s aegis. In other words, Iraq will be at war with Syria without issuing a formal declaration.
4. It is fully appreciated in Washington, Baghdad and Jerusalem that intense American military warfare against Syria could provoke a Hizballah backlash against Israel.


It is interesting that DEBKA states that Allawi will be in charge of the Iraqi Government AFTER the January 30 elections.

Is the Iraqi election already in the bag for Allawi?