IRAQ: The Giuliani effect comes to Anbar province

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Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani flopped in his bid to become commander in chief. But a piece of strategy being used by Marines in Iraq bears his name.

Maj. Gen. John Kelly, commanding general of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Forward, has ordered Marines to eliminate the kinds of ‘in your face’ things in sprawling Anbar province that were wearing out the patience of many Iraqis.

On Kelly’s orders, Marines have removed miles of barbed wire from streets and eliminated numerous checkpoints. Also, military convoys -- hundreds of them -- are traveling mostly at night, to be less visible to Iraqi drivers.

‘We want to be less obtrusive in their lives,’ Kelly said.

Kelly is convinced he’s seeing an improvement in the mood in Iraq, just as New Yorkers brightened up when their mayor cracked down on graffiti, abandoned cars and other public nuisances.

‘The Giuliani effect, as I call it, has taken over,’ Kelly said.

-- Tony Perry, in San Diego