If You Don't Know History...

Sunday, September 26, 1999

Sharif-Musharraf continue talks to beat coup rumours
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Islamabad, Sept 25: The crises-ridden Nawaz Sharif government is holding hectic back-door consultations with Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf amid reports of persistent differences between the government and military over the commitments Sharif administration made to US.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif along with a senior cabinet minister was closeted with the army chief for about 45 minutes on Friday during which matters relating to former Foreign Secretary Niaz Naik's controversial comments and US warning of a possible coup in Pakistan were discussed, English daily Pakistan Observer reported today quoting sources.

The News also confirmed the meeting and claimed that the trio may have met twice on Friday mainly on the issue of what assurance Shahbaz gave to the US officials during his recent trip to Washington as premier's special envoy.

The consultations, second in the last three days, assume importance in the light of the raging controversy over an imminent showdown between the governmentand the military, the newspapers claimed. Soon after their meeting with Musharraf, Shahbaz accompanied by Petroleum Minister Nisar Ali Khan met the prime minister and briefed him about their deliberations.

Shahbaz later met president Mohammed Rafiq Tarar and reportedly told him of his meetings with the US officials in Washington last week. The News also quoted a government source as saying that the ``real'' worry for Shahbaz is that he ``had given some assurance to the US on the question of CTBT and he has been explaining it to the army chief for the last three days.

``The real problem is how the people of Pakistan will take the government signing the CTBT, as there is nothing like conditional signing of the treaty,'' the source added.

Earlier, Pakistani media reports from Washington had claimed that during Shahbaz-US officials meetings, Pakistan was asked to sign the CTBT with the condition that if New Delhi carries out nuclear tests in future, Islamabad will have the option to do so the same.

Apart from the differences over the CTBT, the observer claimed that the US had also expressed concern about Pakistan's ``misadventure'' in Kargil and asked Islamabad to fix responsibility for the same and resume the Lahore peace process with India.

The US, according to the daily, also wants Pakistan to create a "buffer zone" in Kargil by moving back its army from the current positions. This suggestion, however, has been outrightly rejected by the Pakistan Army which has been engaged in hectic parleys within its own ranks over the last few days. The joint chiefs of staff committee met twice as did the corps commanders under the chairmanship of General Musharraf.

Oppn activists held

KARACHI: Police today rounded up around 1,000 opposition activists ahead of a planned anti-government rally here. Police launched their crackdown against leaders of the newly-formed Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) after outlawing rallies and protests for two months in the country's commercial capital. Opposition sources said senator Nasreen Jalil of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was detained at her home.

Police also confirmed the mass arrests during the crackdown which started overnight but gave no figures. Police and paramilitary rangers have been deployed at the location of the rally in the city's exclusive Clifton Area. Raids were conducted at the MQM and the main opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) headquarters. The opposition parties have launched a campaign to force Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif out of office.

In a nutshell:

"In early May 1999, the Pakistani army, at the instigation of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, seizes a strategic height called Kargil in the Indian province of Kashmir. This creates a grave crisis between Pakistan in India. By early July, the CIA picks up intelligence that Pakistan is preparing to launch nuclear missiles against India if necessary.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif comes to the US on July 4 to meet with President Clinton about this. Clinton is livid and yells at Sharif for breaking promises, not only about Kashmir but also about failing to help with bin Laden. According to notes taken at the meeting, Clinton says he had “asked repeatedly for Pakistani help to bring Osama bin Laden to justice." Sharif promised often to do so but had done nothing.

Instead, the ISI worked with bin Laden and the Taliban to foment terrorists.” Clinton threatens to release a statement calling worldwide attention to Pakistan’s support for terrorists. He adds, “You’ve put me in the middle today, set the US up to fail, and I won’t let it happen. Pakistan is messing with nuclear war.” Sharif backs down and immediately withdraws his troops from Kargil, ending the crisis.

But as a result, Sharif becomes deeply unpopular in Pakistan. A few months later he will be ousted in a coup by Musharraf (see October 12, 1999), the general who started the crisis in the first place."

See here, here, here and here.

The United States has done a pretty fine job since the coup of impressing on Musharraf how vital it is to keep us pacified. Not happy, but pacified. Yes it's cost us, and for now we've avoided war.

For how long?

...the man who murdered Osama Bin Laden

Death Wish?

Benazir Bhutto complained about security, or the lack thereof. Her welcome home gathering ended in an assassination attempt. She knew her life was in danger and even sent out an email a couple of months before her death with instructions to send it to CNN were she killed.

Bhutto knew her actions were risky. Until the investigation is done it's wise to put the blame where it belongs: on the person who shot her and then blew himself up.

A Security Nightmare

Women and Children Hardest Hit

You just know this is Bush's fault:

Call centers and other outsourced businesses such as software writing, medical transcription and back-office work employ more than 1.6 million young men and women in India, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who make much more than their contemporaries in most other professions.

They are, however, facing sleep disorders, heart disease, depression and family discord, according to doctors and several industry surveys.

Experts warn the brewing crisis could undermine the success of India's hugely profitable outsourcing industry that earns billions in dollars annually and has shaped much of the country's transformation into an emerging economic power.

Heart disease, strokes and diabetes cost India an estimated $9 billion in lost productivity in 2005. But the losses could grow to a staggering $200 billion over the next 10 years if corrective action is not taken quickly, said a study by New Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations.

The outsourcing industry would be hardest hit, it warned.

Reliable estimates on the number of people affected are hard to come by, but government officials and experts agree that it is a growing problem. Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss wants to enforce a special health policy for employees in the information technology industry.

"After working, they party for the rest of the time ... (They) have bad diet, excessive smoking and drinking," he said at a public meeting last month. "We don't want these young people to burn out."

The minister's comments have since infuriated the technology sector, which says it has been unfairly singled out for problems that also exist in other professions.

The outsourcing industry has come under fire because the sedentary lifestyle of its employees combined with often stressful working conditions makes them more vulnerable to heart disease, digestive problems and weight gain than others. Some complain of psychological distress.

Most call center jobs involve responding to phone calls through the night from customers in the United States and Europe -- some of whom can be angry and rude. It is monotonous and there is little meaningful personal interaction among co-workers. That can also be true of other jobs such as software writing and back-office work.

"There are times when the stress is so overwhelming that they fail to cope with it. Then they come to us," said Archana Bisht who set up a counseling company, 1to1help.net, in Bangalore six years ago.

I don't see the problem here. India is achieving the American dream.

In Bed With Big Government

The Houston Chronicle:

Paul, the libertarian-leaning GOP lawmaker from Lake Jackson, said on NBC's Meet the Press that he has requested earmarks "because I represent people who are asking for some of their money back."

"They steal our money," said Paul, during a heated exchange with the show's host, Tim Russert, who questioned whether he was being true to his convictions.

This year Paul requested 65 earmarks, more than any other congressman in the Houston area, including money for the renovation of an old movie theater in Edna and wild shrimp marketing.

Paul's congressional district also has been among the top in Texas in receipt of federal assistance since 2000, receiving $31 billion from Washington, according to a study by the group OMB Watch. In the first nine months of the 2006 fiscal year, the district received $4 billion in federal aid.

His district, which hugs the Gulf Coast, and reaches into Brazoria County, receives a substantial amount of flood control aid.

Paul said that although he has requested earmarks, he did not vote for the final spending bills that include the special projects.

"I'm saying I represent my people. They have the request, it's like taking a tax credit," he said. "That's the system. I'm trying to change the system."

What a monumental hypocrite. It seems to me if you don't like the system, you work to change it. Dr. Paul seems to think the only way to change it is to utilize it (his district paid $31 billion since 2000? Yah, right!) and run for President.

He has as much chance of becoming president as Ralph Nader. Or Ross Perot. Or me.

Merry Christmas From Grand Rapids

Democrats, Party of the Rich

A legislative proposal that was once on the fast track is suddenly dead. The Senate will not consider a plan to extract billions in extra taxes from mega-millionaire hedge fund managers.

The decision by Senate majority leader Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat, surprised many Washington insiders, who saw the plan as appealing to the spirit of class warfare that infuses the Democratic party. Liberal disappointment in Mr Reid was palpable at media outlets such as USA Today, where an editorial chastised: “The Democrats, who control Congress and claim to represent the middle and lower classes, ought to be embarrassed.”

Far from embarrassing, this episode may reflect a dawning Democratic awareness of whom they really represent. For the demographic reality is that, in America, the Democratic party is the new “party of the rich”. More and more Democrats represent areas with a high concentration of wealthy households. Using Internal Revenue Service data, the Heritage Foundation identified two categories of taxpayers – single filers with incomes of more than $100,000 and married filers with incomes of more than $200,000 – and combined them to discern where the wealthiest Americans live and who represents them.

Democrats now control the majority of the nation’s wealthiest congressional jurisdictions. More than half of the wealthiest households are concentrated in the
18 states where Democrats control both Senate seats.

Very interesting.

Bring Him Home Santa

h/t: jimmy johns

Moderately Confident

Get this:

"The USSR could derive considerable military advantage from the establishment of Soviet medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Cuba, or from the establishment of a submarine base there. . . . Either development, however, would be incompatible with Soviet practice to date and with Soviet policy as we presently estimate it."
--Special National Intelligence Estimate 85-3-62, Sept. 19, 1962

Twenty-five days after this NIE was published, a U-2 spy plane photographed a Soviet ballistic missile site in Cuba, and the Cuban Missile Crisis began. It's possible the latest NIE on Iran's nuclear weapons program will not prove as misjudged or as damaging as the 1962 estimate. But don't bet on it.

The rest.

National Debt Burden

h/t: Here

Bolton: NIE a "flawed product"

Rarely has a document from the supposedly hidden world of intelligence had such an impact as the National Intelligence Estimate released this week. Rarely has an administration been so unprepared for such an event. And rarely have vehement critics of the "intelligence community" on issues such as Iraq's weapons of mass destruction reversed themselves so quickly.

When John Bolton left his post at the UN, we lost a great advocate for America.

The rest.

Surge Achieving Results, Fund the Troops!

Asked But Didn't Tell

Clintonesque.

Lack of Funding Report

Good thing Jim Webb is banging that gavel so the President can't make a recess appointment. Good grief.

I Love You

Use Your Liberty To Promote Theirs

I am not free if you are not free.

Give Thanks and Praises to the Most High

Thanks and Praise: I photographed men and women, both Christians and Muslims, placing a cross atop the St. John’s Church in Baghdad. They had taken the cross from storage and a man washed it before carrying it up to the dome.

A Muslim man had invited the American soldiers from “Chosen” Company 2-12 Infantry to the church, where I videotaped as Muslims and Christians worked and rejoiced at the reopening of St John’s, an occasion all viewed as a sign of hope.

The Iraqis asked me to convey a message of thanks to the American people. ” Thank you, thank you,” the people were saying. One man said, “Thank you for peace.” Another man, a Muslim, said “All the people, all the people in Iraq, Muslim and Christian, is brother.” The men and women were holding bells, and for the first time in memory freedom rang over the ravaged land between two rivers. (Videotape to follow.)

Consider making a donation to Michael Yon so he can continue to bring us news from Iraq.

The Marlboro Marine

This is the photo that made Marine Lance Cpl. James Blake Miller -- the "Marlboro Marine" -- famous.


This is part of the story the photographer wrote about how a photo blurred their lives together.

He returned to Camp Lejeune, N.C. His high school sweetheart, Jessica Holbrooks, joined him there, and they were married in a civil ceremony.

Then came the nightmares and hallucinations. He imagined shadowy figures outside the windows. Faces of the dead haunted his sleep.

Once, while cleaning a shotgun, he blacked out. He regained consciousness when Jessica screamed out his name. Snapping back to reality, he realized he was pointing the gun at her.

He reported the problems to superiors, who promised to get him help.

Then came a single violent episode, which put an end to his days as a Marine.

Blake is on a mission to get Congress' help with his PTSD. Give it a read, there's more to it than you could imagine.

Nov 11, 1918

Veteran's Day (Armistice Day until 1954), originated as a result of the end of the great war, WWI. It is meant to honor those who lost their lives and those who served and currently serve.

For me personally, I thank those who serve whenever I am made aware of it, no matter the day. But on Veteran's Day I seek out those I know served and thank them, hug them, and if they're a Vietnam Vet I say Welcome Home. Every year. Do they get sick of it? No. They come to expect it and smile when they see me coming.

Today, thank as many Veterans as you can, and say a prayer for those you can't thank personally. Devote a special thought of honor for those who died in action, for you and yours, and me and mine.

Together We Fight

French President Nicholas Sarkozy's speech to the US Congress

Part I


Part II


Part III


Part IV

PVT Dietrich: FLW, MO

A little blurry, but the stage was set for graduation.

My number 1 son and one of his buds from boot camp. *ear to ear grin*

Now he can use his cell on more than just Sunday! Woohoo!

My Hero!

The Kook Is At It Again

Kucinich Tries and Fails to Impeach Cheney



Too fricken funny.

Punishable By Death

Sounds good to me:

Murdering a service member would be a federal crime, punishable by death, under a bill introduced Thursday by Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa.

The “Capt. Scott Corwin Armed Forces Protection Act” would treat the murder of, attempted murder of or conspiracy to murder a member of the military as the same level of crime as the killing or attempted killing of a law enforcement officer.

Under current law, it is a federal crime to murder a member of the military only if the accused knows the victim is a service member. Murphy’s bill, HR 3884, would treat service members murdered when in civilian clothing or in settings where it is not clear they are in the military the same as undercover law enforcement officers, Murphy aides said.

The bill is Murphy’s response to the 2004 shooting death of Army Capt. Scott Corwin in Savannah, Ga., as Corwin was returning home in the historic district of that city. Corwin’s shooting is unsolved.

The Corwin family has formed a foundation in his name that is raising money for a soldier and family support center to be located near Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and is also establishing a scholarship in his name.

When one says 'I Support The Troops', this is the sort of thing we should mean.

h/t: beachbaby

Wounded Veterans Update

It's a start:

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration announced preliminary steps Wednesday to improve treatment for wounded veterans with the hiring of staff to coordinate care between the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department.

The agreement signed Wednesday by the two departments creates "federal recovery coordinators," a recommendation of the presidential commission chaired by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala that was set up following disclosures of substandard care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

"There's a lot that we can do through the executive branch with those recommendations, but the president will also continue to call on Congress to do its part," said White House press secretary Dana Perino.

The coordinators will oversee medical care coordination between the two departments, which have joint responsibility in caring for wounded veterans. The coordinators will also work closely with family members to take care of services and needs.

The first 10 coordinators, scheduled to be hired by Dec. 1, will work at military health care facilities and at any other locations where patients are later assigned. They will be located at Walter Reed; the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.; the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and Balboa Park Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

I trust Bob Dole will keep his eye on this. I sure will.

Lucky Dube Aug 03 1964 - Oct 18 2007

Well this sucks:

World-acclaimed reggae singer Lucky Dube has been shot and killed in a hijacking.

The incident took place just after 8pm on Thursday night when Dube went to drop off his son at his uncle's house in Rosettenville, southern Johannesburg. Two men approached him and opened fire.

In 1991, I saw Lucky Dube at an outdoor concert in Hart, Michigan and I was fortunate enough to meet him. He was truly a wonderful man. What a terrible loss this is.

Petraeus & COIN

Things are better in Iraq and this is why.

Taps

Dedicated to Bigeaux

Lt Col. W. Mills Onellian Marches On

If you wish, please make a donation on your own to a charity that deals with cancer. This is the family's request. You can send cards to:

Hixon Brothers funeral home
701 Jackson St.
Alexandria, Lousiana 71301

You will be missed, bigeaux.

Visitation will be 4pm to 7pm at Hixon Brothers Funeral Homes - (318) 442-3363.

Graveside services will be at the Port Hudson National Cemetary, in Zachary, Louisiana at 11:00am Friday, October 19, 2007.

A Duty to the Wounded

Bob Dole and Donna Shalala are still trying to complete their task. Please read:

It has been more than 2 1/2 months since our commission presented its six pragmatic recommendations to improve the system of care for our injured service members and their families. Our recommendations are eminently doable and designed for immediate implementation. While progress has been made, more work remains. And the clock is ticking.

We have also testified before Congress and met individually with lawmakers. Overall, we are buoyed by the strong bipartisan support being given to the proposals.

Despite this support, however, it is clear that our recommendations are being swept up in a decades-long battle to reform the entire disability system for all service members. It is important to remember that our commission was tasked with improving care and benefits for those returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While we hope that our recommendations will help many others, our mission was to make the system work better for this new generation of veterans.

The current systems of disability and compensation are convoluted, confusing and dated. Modernizing the disability system was of great importance to our commission. Four of our nine commissioners are disabled -- including two who sustained serious injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and one is the wife of a soldier severely burned in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Give your representatives a call or shoot off an email. Let's find out if
they can get more of this done with our interested eyes on them.

President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors

Religion of Peace

Session Start: Sat Oct 13 15:31:54 2007
Session Ident: Blackmarlin
[15:31] Session Ident: Blackmarlin (~fena@85.103.118.4)
[15:31] [Blackmarlin] my dear friend we are no preparing for an invasion to Iraq and we shall spoil all US plans for the next 100 years.live with it prepare to feel Turkish people as enemies with Russians and Iran as allies.. you will soon feel nukes in NewYork.. flying over your heads..:) the war shall be in US skies in 5 years .never forget ahet I said today.. you will remember when they come true..
[15:32] [GiGGLe] piss off
[15:33] [Blackmarlin] I would..:) I am not important.. But dont gorget what I teold you.. all what I predicted before Iraq war and fater Iraq war came true..
[15:33] [Blackmarlin] live in peace..:)
Session Close: Sat Oct 13 15:43:05 2007

Lazy Iraqis At It Again

I get so tired of hearing Americans complain about those lazy Iraqis who won't fight for their own freedom. Those good-for-nothing Iraqis who just sit around getting blown up while US Forces do all the dying, crying and work to secure Iraq. Guess what? The least lazy people on planet Earth right now are Iraqis.

"...while Iraqi forces clearly remain a work in progress, Iraqi soldiers and police are very much in the fight, and they continue to sustain losses that are two to three times our losses."
-General David Petraeus in a letter to US Forces, Sept 7, 2007

Something else to consider:

Over the last week, almost 600 men have applied to join Sha’ab’s new volunteer security force, a government-authorized, U.S.-funded community police force which will guard important local infrastructure sites like offices, schools and markets. The total force will eventually number more than 1,200 people.

“These guys are going to work in partnership with the Iraqi police and the Iraqi national police to secure their own neighborhoods and streets and markets,” said Hinckley, Ohio, native Capt. Dennis Marshall, commander of Headquarters Company, 2nd “White Falcons” Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. The White Falcons have backed the creation of the new force with funding and assistance screening applicants.

While Sha’ab’s volunteer security force program comes in the wake of several other well-publicized community police programs in other parts of Baghdad, Marshall said it was not a case of jumping on the bandwagon.

“This is something the sheiks have been asking for since I first got here,” he said. “It’s about local solutions to local problems.”

The allure of the program is that it gives area residents a greater role in securing their own neighborhood, while also providing much-needed jobs, said Hamood Hassem, a political figure known as the mayor of Adhamiyah, and one of the key organizers of the program.

“We want to give people a chance to work and we want to protect our area,” Hassem said.

This is not unusual for the men of Iraq. What is unusual is for them to get credit for it. God Bless our Troops and God help the Iraqi people.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled

This is a call to ACTION!

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (NBC) -- When they came home from Iraq, 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard had been deployed longer than any other ground combat unit. The tour lasted 22 months and had been extended as part of President Bush's surge.

1st Lt. Jon Anderson said he never expected to come home to this: A government refusing to pay education benefits he says he should have earned under the GI bill.

Anderson's orders, and the orders of 1,161 other Minnesota guard members, were written for 729 days.

Had they been written for 730 days, just one day more, the soldiers would receive those benefits to pay for school.

Let's keep our eyes on this one. Governor Tim Pawlenty can be contacted here.

Phonies

(CNSNews.com) -The federal government is currently conducting more than 60 "stolen valor" investigations of individuals suspected of making false claims about their military records, according to the Department of Veteran's Affairs, and about 30 people nationwide have been arrested in the past year for crimes related to falsifying a military record.

Stolen valor typically occurs when someone falsifies documents or produces medals and awards from the military they didn't earn in order to qualify for veterans benefits.

Jeffrey Sullivan, the U.S. attorney in the Western District of Washington, prosecuted Jesse Macbeth of Tacoma, Wash., in the past year as well as five others who falsely claimed heroic military service.

Macbeth, who was sentenced to five months in prison last month, is the person Rush Limbaugh cited on his radio program as an example of a "phony soldier."

Read the rest here.

US Soldiers torture Iraqi Children

Of course I blogged on this sort of thing before in an earlier post.

h/t: 3rdID8487

Can't Get The Six Minutes Back

Too bad all the outraged liberals don't know what the hell even happened.

I predicted a couple of weeks ago that General Clark would be Hillary's choice for VP. This seems to point in that direction.

h/t: LGF

Takin' It To The Street

It's worth a try:

The UN Security Council kicked off emergency talks today on the deadly clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters in Burma.

The session called by European members of the 15-state council began shortly after 3pm (5am AEST) to hear a closed-door briefing by the UN's pointman on Burma, special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

Earlier today, UN chief Ban Ki-moon decided to send Mr Gambari to the region and urged Burma's military rulers "to cooperate fully" with his mission to assist "in the process of national reconciliation through dialogue".

Marie Okabe, a UN spokeswoman, said Mr Gambari would head to Southeast Asia immediately after his briefing today and would await permission from Burma's leaders to enter the country.

At least four people were killed and 100 injured as Burma's security forces clamped down on anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks in Rangoon, according to officials and witnesses.

Up to 100,000 people defied heavy security to take to the streets, despite warnings from the ruling generals who are facing the most serious challenge to their rule in nearly two decades.

Let's hope this can be resolved quickly from this point.

Myanmar Protests (Burma)

Dance Party in Iraq

Bastards.

The U.S. military on Saturday confirmed the arrests of 25 people linked to the assassination of the leader of the U.S.-backed revolt by Sunni Arab tribesmen in the western Anbar province against al-Qaida in Iraq.

The suspects, who include the head of the security detail that was supposed to protect Sheik Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, killed in a bombing Sept. 13, were detained by Iraqi police, Lt. Col. Jubeir Rashid said, an Iraqi police officer in Anbar.

Rashid said Friday that Abu Risha's security chief, Capt. Karim al-Barghothi, confessed al-Qaida in Iraq had offered him $1.5 million for the slaying but that he was arrested before he could collect the money.

Two other bodyguards as well as some of Abu Risha's neighbors were also detained, Iraqi police said. The arrests took place two days after the bombing. Al-Qaida front group the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the assassination.

May they find Iraqi justice now.
Obituary: Abdul Sattar Abu Risha

You know it's bad...

..when Katie actually reports on Democrats' bad actions.

Replay video | Share video | Watch more videos

Support the Top Troop?

Statement of Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.

Vote Counts: YEAs 72
NAYs 25
Not Voting 3

The YEAs, well a no-brainer.. Who doesn't support the troops? I mean, they all say it.

YEAs ---72
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Webb (D-VA)

HOOAH! Support the Top Commander in Iraq! Good on ya!
Now, who voted no?

NAYs ---25
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Clinton (D-NY)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

And who couldn't even find the time to take a position?

Not Voting - 3
Biden (D-DE)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL)

Roll Call.

h/t: beachbaby

President Bush Weighs In

I'm glad the President commented finally:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Thursday an ad criticizing the United States' top commander in Iraq was "disgusting" and added that Democrats should have spoken out against it.

The liberal anti-war group MoveOn.org has drawn widespread criticism from Republicans for its ad in the New York Times last week that labeled Army Gen. David Petraeus as "General Betray Us" as he testified to Congress that Bush's troop build-up in Iraq was making progress.

"I thought the ad was disgusting," Bush said at a press conference. "I felt like the ad was an attack not only on Gen. Petraeus but on the U.S. military, and I was disappointed that not more leaders in the Democrat party spoke out strongly against that ad."

"And that leads me to come to this conclusion: that most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like MoveOn.org, or more afraid of irritating them, then they are of irritating the United States military," Bush added. "That was a sorry deal."

Return on Success

Excerpts from President Bush's speech made Sep 13, 2007.

Presented Without Comment

and

Rest In Peace, Abu Risha

On July 17th, I blogged on the al Anbar awakening:

The al Anbar Awakening is the call to all of Iraq to stand up with people from all tribes, and all religions to stop insurgents from causing fear throughout their land. The speeches asked for everyone to join together and bring peace and prosperity to all of Iraq.

Lt. Col. Salah Arak al Alwani, the al Jameah police station commander, cited the present as the moment for all Iraqi’s to come together. He said, “Catholics, Muslims, Sunnis and Shiites act as one, work as one to rid the country of terror and fear.”

The day was filled with live music, dancing and food. Iraqi police were holding hands and dancing with Marine and Army generals. Col. Ahmed Hamed Sharqi, the Shaheed Salam, police station commander, was carried around the field as the crowd chanted and yelled in celebration of their new beginning, and out of thanks for the security the police provided.

“To all the attendees and by the name of God, the merciful God, it’s an honor and gives me great pride to have the sons of al Anbar gather here today,” said Ma’Mun Sami Rashid, al Anbar provincial governor. “We’re here to defend ourselves against insurgents and bring back the honor and pride of the Iraqi people. Anbarians have established this with God’s blessing and have been defending themselves from the insurgents, who wanted to bring shame to our nation.”

One of the tribal leaders that made this happen was Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who was assassinated this past week by Al-Qaeda. How do we know it was Al-Qaeda? Well, I tend to err on the side of caution in these types of situations:

BAGHDAD — An Al Qaeda front group warns it will hunt down and kill Sunni Arab tribal leaders who cooperate with the U.S. and its Iraqi partners in the wake of the assassination of the leader of the revolt against the terror movement.

In a separate statement, the Islamic State of Iraq announced a new offensive during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting that began this week. The statement said the offensive was in honor of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq who was killed by a U.S. airstrike in June 2006.

The statements were posted Friday and Saturday on Islamist Web sites, and among other things claimed responsibility for the assassination of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who spearheaded the uprising against Al Qaeda in Anbar province west of the capital.

In claiming responsibility for Abu Risha's death Thursday, the Islamic State said it had formed "special security committees" to track down and "assassinate the tribal figures, the traitors, who stained the reputations of the real tribes by submitting to the soldiers of the Crusade" and the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Not only do we have Islamic State of Iraq AQ front group announcing they murdered this peaceful man, they also promise more of the same for those who attempt to do as he was doing, which was bring peace and reconciliation and security to the al-Anbar region. Oh, and:

In a second statement posted Saturday, the purported head of the Islamic State, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, said he was "honored to announce" the new offensive in memory of the "martyr Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the beginning of Ramadan," which started for Iraqi Sunnis on Thursday and for Shiites the following day.

Happy Holidays even.

To see just how dedicated Abu Risha was to what he was doing, check out this uplifting interview WaPo did with him on July 30, 2007, but didn't see fit to print until after he was dead.


"We thank everyone [in the United States] who is sending their sons here."
-Abu Risha
July 30, 2007

Edited to add: CNN report of the assassination.

Peter Pace Nails It

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2007 – The nation’s top military advisers were “unanimous” in backing the recommendations made to the president by Army Gen. David H. Petraeus on the way forward in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.
...

“The dialogue right now in our country some people misunderstand for whether or not we can vote our way in or out of this war. That’s not the point,” Pace said. “The point is that we have an enemy who has declared they want to destroy and kill us, and as long as we have that enemy, we are in a war. So the dialogue is about where are we going to stand and fight.”

Pace said he is proud of the U.S. forces that have fought in Afghanistan and are fighting in Iraq.

“I’m proud of the fact that we stood and fought,” Pace said. “Did we make mistakes? Yes. But are we on the right path? Yes. Is providing additional freedom for Iraqis and Afghanis providing additional freedom for us here at home? You bet. The more free people in the world, the stronger our democracy is and the safer our democracy is.”

Nails it.

Address To The Nation

The President spoke to the nation tonight about Iraq. A portion of what he said is below. Anyone who says we're losing needs a refresher course in math:

Our troops in Iraq are performing brilliantly. Along with Iraqi forces, they have captured or killed an average of more than 1,500 enemy fighters per month since January. Yet ultimately, the way forward depends on the ability of Iraqis to maintain security gains. According to General Petraeus and a panel chaired by retired General Jim Jones, the Iraqi army is becoming more capable -- although there is still a great deal of work to be done to improve the national police. Iraqi forces are receiving increased cooperation from local populations. And this is improving their ability to hold areas that have been cleared.

Because of this success, General Petraeus believes we have now reached the point where we can maintain our security gains with fewer American forces. He has recommended that we not replace about 2,200 Marines scheduled to leave Anbar province later this month. In addition, he says it will soon be possible to bring home an Army combat brigade, for a total force reduction of 5,700 troops by Christmas. And he expects that by July, we will be able to reduce our troop levels in Iraq from 20 combat brigades to 15.

General Petraeus also recommends that in December we begin transitioning to the next phase of our strategy in Iraq. As terrorists are defeated, civil society takes root, and the Iraqis assume more control over their own security, our mission in Iraq will evolve. Over time, our troops will shift from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and eventually to overwatching those forces. As this transition in our mission takes place, our troops will focus on a more limited set of tasks, including counterterrorism operations and training, equipping, and supporting Iraqi forces.

I have consulted with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, other members of my national security team, Iraqi officials, and leaders of both parties in Congress. I have benefited from their advice, and I have accepted General Petraeus's recommendations. I have directed General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker to update their joint campaign plan for Iraq, so we can adjust our military and civilian resources accordingly. I have also directed them to deliver another report to Congress in March. At that time, they will provide a fresh assessment of the situation in Iraq and of the troop levels and resources we need to meet our national security objectives.

The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is "return on success." The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home. And in all we do, I will ensure that our commanders on the ground have the troops and flexibility they need to defeat the enemy.

Full Text.

Never Forget

Katie Get Your Gun

This speaks for itself.

A Little Known Fact..

There is no denying the division in America. There is also no denying the problems in Iraq. Americans used to look to the national media to keep us informed of things that were happening so we could make informed decisions. Those days are gone.

The opponents of the current strategy in Iraq probably didn't see or hear about the following, as it was buried in a story about death and destruction in Iraq. Did you know:

Meanwhile, a small Sunni Arab bloc ended its parliamentary boycott Saturday, returning to the legislature as it considers key benchmark legislation demanded by Washington amid increasing pressure to end the political deadlock.

The return of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front ends the last boycott of parliament, which had contributed to the political paralysis.

The party returned in part because parliament granted its demand that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki be summoned for questioning by lawmakers about the security situation in Iraq.

"We need a liberal government, we need a secular government. Without such a government the violence will continue," party head Saleh al-Mutlaq said from Jordan on Al-Jazeera television.

Al-Mutlaq said he considered a recent decrease in violence a "temporary improvement."

"The violence will grow again, as people will lose hope if nothing changes on the political side," he said. "There was a big failure on the political side ... without reconciliation the violence will not stop."
...
Though sectarian violence has been down in recent weeks, the attacks reinforced the obstacles to U.S. goals ahead of a report to Congress by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. The two are to attending hearings starting Monday on progress in Iraq since the introduction of 30,000 more American troops, including whether advances are being made toward national reconciliation.

Parliament reconvened Tuesday after a monthlong summer break but has not yet taken up any of the key benchmark legislation because competing factions have still not been able to hash out compromises.

Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish leaders agreed in principle on some of the 18 issues that the U.S. has set as benchmarks for progress. Among them were holding provincial elections, releasing prisoners held without charge and changing the law preventing many former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from holding government jobs and elected office.

The so-called de-Baathification draft law appears to be the closest to being ready.

"We will receive it today or tomorrow and then it will be put forward in parliament for discussion this week," deputy parliament speaker Khaled al-Attiyah told The Associated Press by telephone.

Al-Attiyah did not say how long he expects the discussion to last or whether it will be approved.

But he has previously said he did not expect to parliament to begin discussing another key draft law — on oil revenue sharing — before mid-September.

The headline of this wonderful news (buried in the chaos of Iraq story) is "Bombing in Baghdad's Sadr City kills 12".

What a world.

No Further Encroachment

From the 1961 Operation Coffee Cup Campaign against Socialized Medicine as proposed by the Democrats, then private citizen Ronald Reagan Speaks out against socialized medicine. There is no video because this was an LP sent out by the American Medical Association.

h/t: Wyatt

HOORAH!

President Bush speaks to the Troops in Iraq.

Council of War

How cool:

President George W. Bush held a "council of war" with his security team at a desert air base in western Iraq on Monday, a week before testimony to Congress that could influence policy on the war.

Bush, heading for a showdown with congressional critics pressing him to begin withdrawing troops, flew secretly to the al Asad Air Base in Anbar province, once a Sunni Arab insurgent stronghold but now a success story for the U.S. military.

He was also due to meet Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, whose inability to use the "breathing space" provided by extra U.S. troops to foster national reconciliation has prompted some opposition Democrats to call for the Shi'ite leader's ouster.

The president was accompanied by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and national security adviser Steven Hadley. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived separately.

[...]

Happy Holiday!

The Grand Mufti's Kampf

Any questions?

Moral Clarity

Karl Rove's departure from the White House staff has his critics giddy, but it gives him the freedom to say whatever he wants. Those who support him are glad, those who don't, not so much.

He will be judged as a man of moral clarity who put America on wartime footing in the dangerous struggle against radical Islamic terrorism.

Following the horrors of 9/11, this president changed American foreign policy by declaring terror sponsors responsible for the deeds of those they shelter, train, and fund. America, he said, will not wait until dangers fully materialize with attacks on our homeland before confronting those threats.

The president gave the nation new tools to defeat terrorism abroad and protect our citizens at home with the Patriot Act, foreign surveillance that works in the wireless age, a transformed intelligence community, and the Department of Homeland Security.

And this president saw the wisdom of removing terrorism’s cause by advocating the spread of democracy, especially in the Muslim world, where authoritarianism and repression have provided a potent growth medium for despair and anger aimed at the West. He recognized that democracy there makes us safer here.

It's well worth the read.
h/t: sheets
ref: U.N. speech

President Bush Announces Resignation of Tony Snow

James S. Brady Briefing Room

12:45 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Good afternoon to you.

Tony Snow informed me he's leaving. And I sadly accept his desire to leave the White House, and he'll do so on September the 14th. He is -- it's been a joy to watch him spar with you. He's smart, he's capable, he's witty. He's capable of -- he's able to talk about issues in a way that the American people can understand.

And I don't know what he's going to do -- I'm not sure he does yet, either. But whatever it is, it's going to be -- two things: One, he'll battle cancer and win. And secondly, he'll be a solid contributor to society.

I do want to thank Jill and Kendall, Robbie and Kristi. They have watched a man they love take on a big job, and at the same time, fight disease -- with a lot of courage. And so I accept, I love you, and I wish you all the best.

And so I had to make a choice, who to replace Tony, and I've chosen Dana Perino. I did so because Dana is a smart, capable person who is able to spell out the issues of the day in a way that people listening on TV can understand. She can handle you all. She's capable of handling your questions.

Press conference with remarks here URL and Tony's comments here

Vietnam Era Is SO Over

Bill Kristol went to Iraq recently and wrote this generally uplifting opinion piece upon his return..

[..]
It's true that Iraq is an unpopular war. But hostility to President George W. Bush, or to the war, hasn't spilled over onto the military. A few weeks ago, the Washington Post Magazine featured an article on the military and its relationship with the broader society. The cover line was alarmist--"Us and Them: As mistrust, resentment and misunderstanding grow between the civilian and military communities, can America wage a just and effective war?" But when you read the piece, the only place you find mistrust, resentment and misunderstanding is among some liberal élites. In fact, in most civilian communities there appears to be pretty unambiguous admiration for the military.

While in Iraq, I kept thinking back to a story that Dean Barnett reported in a recent article on the "9/11 generation" in the Weekly Standard. Barnett attended the commissioning of a Marine Corps lieutenant who had just graduated from Harvard. After the ceremony, the young man returned to his dorm room in full dress uniform and received a spontaneous round of applause from classmates. A campus police officer took him aside to shake his hand. The young man's father observed, "It was like something out of a movie."

Out of a World War II--era movie, to be precise. Whatever the other ways in which one can try to compare Iraq to Vietnam, in this important respect, here at home, the Vietnam era is over. The post-9/11 era is well under way.

Friends Indeed

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown rejected on Tuesday a call to pull troops out of Iraq, insisting they still had an important job to do battling militias and providing security.

In an open letter to an opposition party leader, he argued it was wrong to say the continued presence of British troops would achieve little, or to say that they were severely restricted in what they can do.

"UK forces in Basra continue to have the capability to strike against the militias and provide overall security," he said in the letter to Menzies Campbell, leader of Britain's third party, the Liberal Democrats, which opposed the Iraq war.

Campbell had called for a timetable to pull out, saying casualty levels were now unacceptable, but Brown said this would "undermine our international obligations, as well as hindering ... our armed forces and increasing the risks they face".

more

It's good to see that the UK will continue to be a steadfast ally.

"Public Service Is Honorable And Noble"

President Bush reluctantly accepted the resignation of Alberto Gonzales stating, "After months of unfair treatment that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position and I accepted his decision."

It is effective September 17.
Video here and here

President Bush Attends VFW National Conference

The President was truly inspired today giving this speech.
Listen here.
Read here.







*************************UPDATE**********************
Here's a small clip I found.

No Comment?

Hm..

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - Kurdish authorities in northeastern Iraq said on Tuesday they were investigating the authenticity of leaflets warning villagers to evacuate ahead of an Iranian military offensive against Kurdish rebels.

Hundreds of villagers have fled their homes in Iraq's mountainous northeast while others hid in caves after what local authorities said was days of intermittent shelling by Iran across the border.

So far there has been no official comment from either Tehran or Baghdad about the shelling.

Cross-border skirmishes occasionally occur as Iraq's neighbors Turkey and Iran combat Kurdish separatist rebels operating from bases in Iraq's mountainous and remote north and northeast.

More [...]

The leaflets didn't have the official mark of the government or military of Iran, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

This Ain't No Party

I anxiously await the MSM picking up this story but I won't hold my breath:

ANKARA, Turkey, (AP) - One of the hijackers of a Turkish plane received training at an al-Qaeda camp and wanted to be flown to Iran so he could eventually join al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported Monday, citing police.

Authorities didn't say at which al-Qaeda camp 33-year-old hijacker Mommen Abdul Aziz Talikh, an Egyptian of Palestinian origin, received training.

Police said Talikh, along with Mehmet Resat Ozlu of Turkey, wielded a fake bomb and claimed al-Qaeda ties when hijacking the plane early Saturday after it took off from northern Cyprus. The pair held passengers and crew hostage for more than four hours before surrendering peacefully at the Turkish Mediterranean resort Antalya, where the plane had been diverted after taking off.

Dozens of Turks have joined al-Qaeda in Afghanistan or Iraq, police have said. Suicide bombers linked to al-Qaeda hit Istanbul in 2003, killing 58 people in attacks that targeted two synagogues, the British Consulate and a British bank. In February, a court sentenced seven people to life in prison for the bombings.

More [...]

I miss the innocent days when a hijacking was an isolated incident and Al-Qaeda didn't exist (at least we didn't know about it).
h/t: S & L

Word to the Kooks

If you need any more proof that the lefty online kooks affect the polls, look no further.



The "Reality Based" Community's perfect election: Ron Paul v Dennis Kucinich. Too funny.

President Proudly Pronounces Positives Provincially

Now this is what I'm sayin! I've been talking about the provincial governments kicking ass and taking names for awhile now. I'm glad the President is finally touting it now, too.

When Bush announced the buildup in US troops in January, he also said the administration would double the number of provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq. These are units of US civilian, military, and diplomatic workers who help Iraqi communities rebuild infrastructure, create jobs, and encourage reconciliation from the bottom up.

Bush cited Anbar Province, where local sheiks joined US forces in driving out terrorists. Bush said that today the provincial council in Ramadi is back, and that last month, provincial officials reopened parts of the war-damaged government center with the help of a provincial reconstruction team.

"Similar scenes are taking place in other parts of Anbar," the president said. "Virtually every city and town in the province now has a mayor and a functioning municipal council."

[more...] w00t! Go Iraq!

Michael K. Deaver 1938 - 2007

Michael Deaver, Vice Chairman of Edelman International, passed away on August 18, 2007 at 8:00am. Mike was diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cancer last fall, and passed away at his Bethesda home in the company of his loving family.
Mike Deaver was a giant in our field. His professional career spanned five decades, on behalf of heads of state and captains of industry around the world. He will be remembered for countless contributions to the art of communications, and for his years of service to our country in the stead of his longtime friend and boss, President Ronald Reagan, whom he started working with shortly after Reagan was elected California governor in 1966.

For the past 15 years we had the tremendous fortune of knowing Mike as one of our family members at Edelman. He sat at the head of the table here in the Washington office, and was a beloved and deeply valued colleague to our agency friends around the world. From the moment he joined Edelman in the spring of 1992 he changed the way we were perceived by the outside world and how we felt about ourselves. He immediately elevated our standing in the public affairs arena and gave us instant credibility, enabling us to take on the toughest public relations challenges.

For all of these reasons, Mike Deaver was viewed as the wisest of the wise men, and all of his colleagues and clients marveled at, and benefited from, his counsel. In our profession, one which he took great pride in being part of, he was and will always remain the master.

The time has come to rest sweetly, dear friend. Your job is done, the race is won. God bless you always.

Nancy Reagan

Chocolate City Ugly

h/t: bottomolineupfront

***Update!***

A federal appeals court Wednesday upheld the verdict that Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan violated civil rights law by firing dozens of white employees after taking office, marking the final automatic appeal of a jury award that now tops $3.5 million after accruing interest for two years.

In 2003, days after becoming the city's first black district attorney, Jordan fired dozens of longtime employees -- including clerks, typists, investigators and other support staff -- to make room for loyalists and others who worked on his campaign.

While Jordan said he was applying his political prerogative to build his own staff after taking the helm of an office led for decades by Harry Connick, a federal jury in 2005 found him liable for employment discrimination for firing all white people and replacing them with black people.

More [...]

Pat Dollard: Young Americans (again)

Pat Dollard's outstanding documentary as he travels with the Marines in Iraq.


This is what he has to say at this point in the docu, although it's an ongoing project from what I can tell:

**Rolling With the Suicide Squad** says Pat Dollard
"Dressed in civies and running around with a video camera, I stuck out. And the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines had far more important matters on their minds than entertaining outsiders. One of my first interviews, a Cpl. Gilbert Jensen, summed it up: "Don't talk to me. I have nothing good to say." Still, they let me tag along. When I wasn't filming a patrol in the Triangle from the back of a Humvee, I went along on IED-hunting missions with the Suicide Squad in a convoy of LAV-25s. That's short for light armored vehicle, but the marines just called them pigs"
**************************************
Few of the troops understand that the news business is driven by dramatic events, not the tedious kind of process the troops go through every day to defeat the terrorists. To the troops, the war is being won. They see bad guys killed in large numbers, and few Americans getting hurt. The troops see tangible evidence, every day, of Iraqis having a better life. The troops cannot understand why that is not news, and why journalists always seem to be looking for a negative angle. To the average G.I., the attitude is, "what are these reporters looking for?" They are looking for a story, and bad news is a story. Good news is not. As a result of this clash of cultures, reporters are increasingly seen as a potentially dangerous enemy. For the troops, this is already accepted as true for many Arab journalists. Some of those have been arrested for hostile activity, or later revealed as al Qaeda agents. European journalists are seen as particularly clueless, so wrapped up in their anti-American fantasies, that communication is nearly impossible. But after watching a CNN clip on the net, or viewing an online story from the New York Times or Washington Post, it's hard to view U.S. journalists as fellow Americans.

God Bless Pat and our boys.
h/t: Dollard

Working Together

Boston native Staff Sgt. Robin Johnson (left), with Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, and an Iraqi army soldier from 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, work together during Operation Tiger Hammer, a combined cordon and search mission in Baghdad's Adhamiyah District June 7.

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael Pryor.

Trusted Advisor and Friend

Thank you for your service, sir.

Pat Dollard: Young Americans

Pat Dollard is embedded with our troops and is making a documentary film called Young Americans. This is the opening sequence of said film. Be warned there are combat scenes and graphic language, but it gives an initial view of what it's like for some of our boys 'over there'. Well worth viewing. More can be seen at his link below.



h/t: Pat Dollard

Iraqi Terrorist Says al-Qaeda Trained in Iraq Under Saddam

The interrogator said it best. "You bastards."

Full version here.


h/t bottomlineupfront

Yeh Hum Naheen

Yeh Hum Naheen means "this is not us", and that is what one Muslim foundation is saying about terrorism committed in the name of their religion.



h/t: bottomlineupfront

Progress continues in Iraq

Great news:

BAGHDAD — Military officials discussed progress in several aspects of Iraq Wednesday at the Combined Press Information Center.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox, a spokesperson for Multi-National Force-Iraq, Mr. Marcus Sani, Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, commanding general of Gulf Region Division, outlined many advancements in the security and stability of Iraq.

[...]

“We are seeing increasingly positive trends in terms of the number of weapons and explosives being taken away from the enemy,” Fox said. “We have seized more weapons caches in the first six months of 2007 than we did in all of last year. The reason for the dramatic increase, the volume and accuracy of tips, now over 23,000 per month.”

Fox also credited Iraqi Security Forces for their efforts in the fight. An example of their support and growing independence, he said, was an instance last week when an alert Iraqi Air Force pilot flying a helicopter in Basra noted thieves siphoning oil from a pipeline break in west Neisseria. The Iraqi quickly notified the appropriate authorities who rapidly responded, arrested the thieves, confiscated their vehicles and foiled an attempt to still oil from the Iraqi people, Fox said.

Fox commented on the importance of a “one team, one mission” approach before turning the conference over to Sani, who provided an update on Iraqi reconstruction efforts. The GRD has conducted numerous operations over the past four years, Sani said.

“We had around 35,000 projects that has been accomplished and the work is continuing over 2,000 other projects that will cost about $7 billion,” Sani said. “And we will start also with other projects that will cost for about $2 billion. And the total number allocated for that exceeds $26 billion that are being disbursed for 40,000 projects.”

[...]

Slow and steady wins the race.
Press Briefing Aug 5 2007