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The United States and Iraq are crafting a two-pronged plan to prepare for Iraq's first democratic election in January, combining a fall military offensive to evict insurgents from volatile areas with creative approaches to ensure that voters will participate in the historic poll, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. To address deteriorating security, the plan calls for U.S. forces to lead a campaign to clean out insurgents in three key provincial capitals and Fallujah, opening up the cities for Iraqi forces to move in and retain control to prepare for balloting, officials said. The goal is to use U.S. military muscle decisively but briefly, and then leave to avoid becoming targets or fueling further anti-U.S. sentiment, say U.S. and Iraqi officials. While the United States is confident it can win a military battle, the bigger challenge is creating an Iraqi government presence to prevent key areas from reverting into chaos -- a problem after a U.S. offensive in Fallujah last spring. [more

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