I am going to Diyala Province

TIKRIT-- Four Task Force Lightening solders are killed by roadside bombs on Valentine's Day.

Last weekend, three soldiers were killed when they entered a house that exploded. Also in Diyala Province, in the town of Baqouba.

So I'm going to Diyala Province, where the U.S. casualty numbers appear to be nearing, or even surpassing, those in al Anbar.

So much of the focus is on Baghdad. Commanders say it's crucial. And I agree. But the American casualties in Anbar and Diyala are just as important. The Sunni insurgency isn't HEADQUARTERED in Baghdad, the weapons and fighters often come from other areas, like Diyala and Anbar. Same for the Shiite militias. They may cause havoc in the capital, but they take their orders from Najaf and elsewhere.

It would seem to me the focus of the Baghdad Security Plan should be on everywhere else. And because it's not, isn't it more defensive than offensive in nature? Consider this the next time a military commander says "we're going after the enemy".

This is all to explain why I'm going to get on a helicopter. An extreme anxiety-producing experience these days with all of the shoot downs and crashes.

But when I get it in my head that something is important here and people aren't paying enough attention to it, I can be stubborn (that's one term, Soldier might use another).

Which means I'm going on another dreaded "embed".