China: The Threat We Want

This is from Spacewar:

China is, to coin a Donald Rumsfeld turn of phrase, the threat we want, not the threat we face. By dint of much puffery, China can be made into the devoutly prayed for "peer competitor," an opponent against whom our "transformed," hi-tech, video-game future military can employ its toys, or more importantly, justify their acquisition. Our real enemy, the thousand faces of the Fourth Generation war practitioners, fails to meet that all-important test and is therefore deflated into "rejectionists" and "bad guys."
In fact, China's conventional forces are a long way from being able to take the United States on, especially at sea or in the air. The issue is less equipment -- not that China has much of it -- but personnel. Chinese ships spend little time at sea, its fighter pilots get few flight hours, and one can hardly speak of a Chinese "navy": it's really just a collection of ships. In a naval and air war with the United States, China would have little choice but to go nuclear from the outset, which is what I suspect it would do.

I believe China is a potential threat, but the War on Terror is more urgent. Keeping the Cold War going is a good excuse to continue buying expensive whizz bang weaponry like the F-22 Raptor, plus giant carriers and new submarines.

Meanwhile, the Army is robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Overly Focused on Leaving

The head of US Central Command Gen. John Abizaid, says there's still work to do in Iraq:

This is a decisive period in the country, Army Gen. John Abizaid told National Public Radio in a recent interview. "First and foremost we have to stabilize the situation in Baghdad before we need to get overly focused on leaving," Abizaid said...Abizaid said the government must demobilize militias."If you don't do this, you end up with a situation like you have in Lebanon, where the militia becomes a state within a state," Abizaid said. "It makes the state impotent to be able to deal with security challenges."For Iraq to be successful, Abizaid said, the country's government must be successful against such groups.

And I believe our troops will be successful, if allowed to finish the job.

Terror Speak

Victor Davis Hanson explains vocabulary used by terrorists and the Media in the Battle for Lebanon:

“Civilians” in Lebanon have munitions in their basements and deliberately wish to draw fire; in Israel they are in bunkers to avoid it. Israel uses precision weapons to avoid hitting them; Hezbollah sends random missiles into Israel to ensure they are struck.
“Collateral damage” refers mostly to casualties among Hezbollah’s human shields; it can never be used to describe civilian deaths inside Israel, because everything there is by intent a target.
“Cycle of Violence” is used to denigrate those who are attacked, but are not supposed to win.
“Deliberate” reflects the accuracy of Israeli bombs hitting their targets; it never refers to Hezbollah rockets that are meant to destroy anything they can.
“Deplore” is usually evoked against Israel by those who themselves have slaughtered noncombatants or allowed them to perish — such as the Russians in Grozny, the Syrians in Hama, or the U.N. in Rwanda and Dafur.

There's more.

Hezbollah fires on UN Troops

Where's the outrage, Kofi Annan? From the Washington Times:

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan falsely accuses Israel of deliberately attacking members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), even as Hezbollah repeatedly targets U.N. peacekeepers. Last Monday, an Internet site called Little Green Footballs notes that the United Nations issued a press release reporting that an unarmed U.N. observer was critically wounded by small arms fire originating from a position controlled by Hezbollah. He was airlifted to an Israeli hospital for treatment. The following day, Hezbollah opened fire on a U.N. convoy, forcing it to turn back. On Friday, U.N. forces issued a press release reporting that "Hezbollah fired from the vicinity of five U.N. positions" in southern Lebanon, and that the number of troops in a Ghanaian battalion of the U.N. is "somewhat reduced" due to Hezbollah firing from near the U.N. positions, which provokes retaliatory shelling from the Israeli side.

This was from an article titled Hezbollah's human shields.

Using Babies as Shields

This mother of an Israeli soldier has something to say to those who blame her country for atrocities:

Terrorists and their supporters have lost the right to complain about civilian casualties, since all they have done this entire war is target civilians. Every single one of the more than 2,500 rockets launched into Israel is launched into populated towns filled with women and children. Just today, another suicide belt meant to kill civilians in Israel was detonated harmlessly by our forces in Nablus.

So, don't cry to me about civilian casualties. Cry to those using your babies and wives and mothers; cry to those who store weapons in mosques, ambulances, hospitals and private homes. Cry to those launching deadly rockets from the backyards of your kindergartens and schools. Cry to the heartless men who love death, and who, however many of their troops or civilians die, consider themselves victorious as long as they can keep on firing rockets at our women and children.

Good to see Prime Minister Olmert sticking to his guns, determined, like Bush, to wipe out the terrorist threat against his people.

The Last Tomcat

An amazing chapter in US Naval History comes to a close:

ABOARD USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (NNS) -- A long, storied chapter in naval aviation history came to a close July 28 with the final aircraft carrier flight operations for F-14 Tomcats, fighter jets that have spent more than 32 years in the fleet but are now retiring and making room for F/A-18E/F Super Hornets...

Dating back to its initial combat missions during Vietnam and spanning to its most recent combat missions in the Persian Gulf, the F-14 Tomcat has played a vital role in naval aviation.The Tomcat entered operational service with Navy fighter squadrons VF-1 Wolfpack and VF-2 Bounty Hunters aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in September 1974. The F-14’s purpose was to serve as a fighter interceptor, eventually replacing the F-4 Phantom II Fighter, which was completely phased-out in 1986.

The last of the great "Grummans" which also helped win the Pacific War with Japan.

Iraqi Tribes Come Together

And forming a new democracy. This is from CentCom:

FOB KALSU, Iraq — The southern portion of Iraq is reaping the long overdue benefits of infrastructure rebuilding and trained security forces.
Although the areas in the Karbala, Najaf and Babil provinces still have their share of turbulence, some of the success the provinces are enjoying stems from the willingness of local tribes to work together to put their part of Iraq back together, said Capt. Dave Zaino, commander, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

We are going into areas in the northern sector of our area of operations, finding a large population who are putting the pieces back together on their own,” said Zaino.
Last week, Zaino met with Sheik Mohammed for the first time and found he and the surrounding tribes were working on a joint project on their own to improve the water system in their area. Mohammed solicited help from the Obide, Guerarie, Jabor and Gueranie tribes, along with his own tribe to assist with the project.
“His initiative is a model of sincere leadership and accountability and is a positive step in boosting the idea of democracy and faith in the Government of Iraq,” said Zaino.
Zaino also met with Sheik Najim for the first time and said he found him willing to discuss his tribe’s issues. Najim expressed his greatest concerns, which were also water and security in the region, and agreed to another visit a few days later.

Aircraft Carrier Vs. Cruise Missile 7

This was sent to me by Phelps Hobart of Sea Power Ambassador, from an article appearing on Stratfor:

Today, it appears to be the Pentagon's view that China is following the Soviet model. The Chinese will not be able to float a significant surface challenge to the U.S. Seventh Fleet for at least a generation -- if then. It is not just a question of money or even technology; it also is a question of training an entirely new navy in extraordinarily complex doctrines. The United States has been operating carrier battle groups since before World War II. The Chinese have never waged carrier warfare or even had a significant surface navy, for that matter -- certainly not since being defeated by Japan in 1895. The Americans think that the Chinese counter to U.S. capabilities, like the Soviet counter, will not be to force a naval battle. Rather, China would use submarines and, particularly, anti-ship missiles to engage the U.S. Navy. In other words, the Chinese are not interested in seizing control of the Pacific from the Americans. What they want to do is force the U.S. fleet out of the Western Pacific by threatening it with ground- and air-launched missiles that are sufficiently fast and agile to defeat U.S. fleet defenses. Such a strategy presents a huge problem for the United States. The cost of threatening a fleet is lower than the cost of protecting one. The acquisition of high-speed, maneuverable missiles would cost less than purchasing defense systems. The cost of a carrier battle group makes its loss devastating. Therefore, the United States cannot afford to readily expose the fleet to danger. Thus, given the central role that control of the seas plays in U.S. grand strategy, the United States inevitably must interpret the rapid acquisition of anti-ship technologies as a serious threat to American geopolitical interests.

Who is on Israel's Side?

According to CNN, a 1000 year old Bible was recently discovered in an Irish bog. The ancient book was opened to Psalms 83, which included this passage:


Psalm 83
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not keep silent;
be not quiet, O God, be not still.
2 See how your enemies are astir,
how your foes rear their heads.

3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.

4 "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation,
that the name of Israel be remembered no more."

5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you-

6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal, [a] Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.

8 Even Assyria has joined them
to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.

Can't see how the enemies of Israel can read this and not be afraid. But fear has rarely stopped them before, only force has.

John Kerry's Latest Burlesque

This take on the Senator's whistlestop at a Detroit Bar and Grill is by John Burtis:

And now we find that they’ve put a bone in Mr. Kerry’s craw, too - the same Mr. Kerry who wants to get us away from fighting in Iraq, who wants us to run home from the war on terror, who prefers a quick calling of victory and a beating of feet for home, who voted against funding the war after he voted for it, that old pal of Honest John Murtha, or some such. You see, Mr. Smallweed from Massachusetts saw the light last Sunday for a few minutes in the Motor City, or so he claims.
Now, with some new steel in his plasticine spine, thanks to some handy courage courtesy of the heady atmosphere and the ready inventory afloat in Honest John’s, Mr. Kerry now calls for a greater military offensive than the one we are currently embroiled in, shunning his recent reluctance to fight anywhere for anything of value or American lives.
"Hezbollah guerillas should have been targeted with the other terrorist organizations, such as al-Qaida and the Taliban…We have to destroy Hezbollah."
Forsaking all of his other speeches on the great follies of the Bush administration, forgetting his torpid folderol on the wrong war in the wrong place for the all wrong reasons, and briefly turning his back on his trusted paladins in the anti-war crowd, a newly minted John Kerry, at least in the confines of Honest John’s, no relation, has declared war on Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.

But don't foget, Kerry was for the War on Terror before he was against it, so he get's to change his mind, again.

A Real Exit Strategy

John Lawrence has the answer:

When Napoleon has his sights on England in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, England did not have an exit strategy. They were going to be conquered or they were going to defeat the aggressor. They succeeded in crushing Napoleon and the French as well as the Spanish. There was no exit strategy. In fact, when I consider such a thing in a battle such as this, an exit strategy would only be necessary for a nation unable to win or unwilling to crush its enemy.
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, I doubt that Admiral Yamamoto had dreamed up any other exit strategy than crushing the Americans and pounding them into submission. In 1812, when the Americans attacked Canada, their aim was to conquer us and expand their nation. Their 'exit strategy' for a lack of a better term, was victory. The fact that they were unsuccessful provided them with an alternate strategy; retreat.

It's the same today. Exit strategy or "redeployment" is a politically correct version of retreat, surrender, and defeat.

Divisive Dean

Before a group of Florida business leaders Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean called for an end to divisiveness in America. Then he cut loose on everybody:

Dean called President Bush "the most divisive president probably in our history."

We'd have to say that superlative belongs to Abraham Lincoln, on whose watch 11 states actually tried to leave the union. Under Bush there hasn't been a serious secession movement even in the People's Republic of Vermont.

Anyway, the AP also reports that at the same appearance, Dean declared, "The Iraqi prime minister is an anti-Semite." And the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that "Dean also had a harsh assessment of [Katherine] Harris, a U.S. House member trying to unseat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.":

"Thank God for Bill Nelson, because we'd have another crook in the United States Senate if it weren't for him. He is going to beat the pants off Katherine Harris," Dean said during his 20-minute address. "She doesn't understand that it's . . . improper to be chairman of a campaign and count the votes at the same time. This is not Russia and she is not Stalin."

Now we understand why Dean is complaining about how "divisive" Bush is. He wanted to be the most divisive president in our history!

I might could sympathize with what the Dems think of Maliki, if they hadn't been against Iraq progress from the beginning. Dean, Clinton, Pelosi, and Reid are Hawks when it is convenient.

Thanks to James Taranto.

Also read Peter Beinart's column at the Washington Post, and how Dems paner for the Jewish vote.

Disproportionate Response

Charles Krauthammer says Hezbollah is intentionally targeting Israeli civilians, but guess who is demonized in the Media?

The perversity of today's international outcry lies in the fact that there is indeed a disproportion in this war, a radical moral asymmetry between Hezbollah and Israel: Hezbollah is deliberately trying to create civilian casualties on both sides while Israel is deliberately trying to minimize civilian casualties, also on both sides.
In perhaps the most blatant terror campaign from the air since the London blitz, Hezbollah is raining rockets on Israeli cities and villages. These rockets are packed with ball bearings that can penetrate automobiles and shred human flesh. They are meant to kill and maim. And they do.
But it is a dual campaign. Israeli innocents must die in order for Israel to be terrorized. But Lebanese innocents must also die in order for Israel to be demonized, which is why Hezbollah hides its fighters, its rockets, its launchers, its entire infrastructure among civilians. Creating human shields is a war crime. It is also a Hezbollah specialty.

It's a shame that free nations are now put on trial in the world community for trying to defend themselves.

Thanks for the Blogs

Recieved this nice email from CentCom:

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for yourefforts in supporting the US military and coalition forces serving in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility, by providing the blogosphere with informationfrom US CENTCOM or directing them to our sitefor more information.

I want you to know your voice is an important one, inkeeping your readers informed in what is happening, positive, negative, orindifferent in Iraq, Afghanistan andthe rest or the world. I thought the Wall Street Online Journal article Cry Bias, and Let Slip the Blogs of War by Mike Spector,dated July 26, 2006; Page B1. ClickHere demonstrates the importance ofwhat blogs provide as a viable voice in America. And what you provide to anaudience who is willing and wanting to hear all sides of the story, and make aninformed decision based on the facts.

We are looking fornew and innovative ways to get you the information you need. Please send ussuggestions and comments to better provide you with the information you arelooking for our press releases, website and our newsletter.
Thank you.

V/R

1LT Anthony Deiss
Public Affairs Officer
US Central Command

A "New Cold War" Novel

By a top selling author of the Old Cold War. From the Scotsman:

Since the end of the Cold War thriller writers have been searching for a theme to replace it, and novelist Frederick Forsyth believes they may have found it in global terrorism.
In his latest novel, "The Afghan", the 67-year-old describes how a British agent seeks to infiltrate the higher echelons of al Qaeda in a bid to thwart a major attack.
The author of classic bestsellers including "The Day of the Jackal" and "The Odessa File" sees many similarities between the standoff between the Soviet Union and the West and the phenomenon of violent Islamic extremism...

Forsyth said the hunt for a subject to match the Cold War was still on.
"No one has ever come up with a turn-on as big as the KGB," he said, adding that terrorism was a possible replacement. The end of the Cold War also dealt a major blow to the popularity of the thriller genre.
"You look at what's selling out there, and thrillers are way down the list," he said.
"Fantasy is big, the paranormal is big, ancient/medieval history is big.

Perhaps soon, Hollywood will get over its apathy and give us more anti-terrorism films, like Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center".

Learning the Lessons of Comanche

The US Army can now afford to rebuild its aviation assets, thanks to a bold decision by Donald Rumsfeld:

Two years after the Army canceled its high-tech, $42-billion RAH-66 Comanche attack helicopter, the service is putting together a new fleet of choppers that it claims are more affordable and better-suited to real-world missions than the Cold War Comanche ever was...In all, the Army will buy as many as 2,000 helicopters in the next 15 years...

In early 2004, Army Aviation's future appeared bleak. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan had demonstrated helicopters' vulnerability to small arms and rocket-propelled grenades (more than 120 have been lost so far) and had proved that most Army aircraft were under-powered for hot weather and high-altitude flying. The aircraft fleet's average age was around 20 years and climbing. The rising cost of the Comanche threatened to bankrupt the force while delivering only a fraction of the new aircraft needed to recapitalize the Army's 4,000-strong rotary-wing fleet.

If only he had gone further and cancelled the Air Force's F-22 Raptor, which only 180 can be bought, as well as the Navy's CVN-21, which is rapidly bringing us to a 200 ship Navy.

Hezbollah was "all over" the UNIFIL Post

This according to a Canadian UN official who was there:

A Canadian U.N. observer, one of four killed at a UNIFIL position near the southern Lebanese town of Khiyam on Tuesday, sent an e-mail to his former commander, a Canadian retired major-general, Lewis MacKenzie, in which he wrote that Hezbollah fighters were "all over" the U.N. position, Mr. MacKenzie said. Hezbollah troops, not the United Nations, were Israel's target, the deceased observer wrote...In one such e-mail, obtained by The New York Sun, Hess-von Kruedener wrote about heavy IDF artillery and aerial bombardment "within 2 meters of our position." The Israeli shooting, he added, "has not been deliberate targeting, but has rather been due to tactical necessity."

...Mr. MacKenzie, who once commanded the U.N. troops in Bosnia, told the CBC. "What he was telling us was Hezbollah fighters were all over his position and the IDF were targeting them, and that's a favorite trick by people who don't have representation in the U.N. They use the U.N. as shields knowing that they cannot be punished for it."

They use the Media, they use civilians. Now the UN are "Useful Idiots" for terrorists.

Also read Annan's libel from the Jerusalem Post.

Iraq to Become 'Graveyard for Terrorism'

Thats the view of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki before Congress yesterday:

Iraq is the front line in the war on terror and ultimately will serve as a "graveyard for terrorism," Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told a joint session of Congress here today.
Maliki repeatedly thanked the lawmakers for the United States' steadfast support for his country and assured them that Iraq will remain a solid ally in the terror war. "Iraq will never forget those who stood with her ... and who continue to stand with her in times of need," he said..."Many around the world ... underestimated the resolve of Iraq's people and were sure that we would never reach this stage. Few believed in us," he said. "But you, the American people, did -- and we are grateful for this."
Terrorists continue to threaten Iraq, but Maliki insisted that the Iraqi people, with help from their friends abroad, will prevail against them.
I "will not allow Iraq to become a launch pad for al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations," he said. "Trust that Iraq will be the graveyard for terrorism and terrorists, ... for the good of all humanity."

I believe in this Prime Minister, as well as his choice of words. Its all about Iraq, everything else just a sideshow.

MiLinks

Murdoc's Linkzookery is back! At least for now.

Airpower versus Missile Power. A challenge to the Israeli Air Force.

US Navy tests Intermediate-Range Missile. This is for a planned conventional ballistic missile.

Army Defends Future Combat System Costs. Who needs troops when we got gadgets?!

Body Armor Goes Back to Nature. A human armadillo?

Hezbollah's Iranian Rocket Force.

The Israeli rocket blitz. World War 2 continues...

Skunk Works Reveals High Altitude UAV. Nicknamed the Polecat!

Saudi Shopping Spree. Neat info and photos from DID.

Army Battles for Aviation Funds. Naw, we want Future Combat instead.

Norway's new Offshore Patrol Vessels. DID gives the details on the workhorse little ships.

HSV Swift Showcases Versatility. And she's headed for Lebanon.

Superconductors & Nanotech: The Future of Naval Propulsion?

Fuel Cell for Spanish Subs. The return of the U-boat!

Allied Navies Control the Sea Lanes. RIMPAC was a big success!

Japan's Sixth Aegis Under Construction. Just in time.

The C-802, Silkworm Confusion. It wasn't a Silkworm that hit the Israeli corvette.

US Orders Nine Warships To Waters Off Lebanon. Thank God for the Navy.

Torched School Gets Second Chance

From CentCom, an Afghan school gets a new lease on life, thanks to some concerned Americans:

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – On an evening forever etched into the minds of the citizens of Nyazi Geranshakh, Parwan Province , arsonists savagely burnt down eight of 10 tents that comprised the local school.
Now, thanks to an organization called People-to-People, the government of Afghanistan and the Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team, those same Afghans can sleep better knowing that their children once again have an epicenter of learning.

Soldiers and airmen from the Bagram PRT traveled to the site of the school on July 19, equipped with replacement tents as well as backpacks and other supplies to better the lives of the people of Afghanistan .

“This is a really great mission,” said First Lt. William Warner, the security forces detachment commander and a native of Glastonberry , Conn. “Anything we can do to help build for that next generation.”

Warner was one of many service-members who passed out the supplies donated via United States citizens through People-to-People, an organization associated with actor Gary Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand.

Securing Iraq's Borders

We've discussed these castle-like forts in Iraq before. This article is from CentCom:

Iraq’s western border with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia will now be more secure thanks to a continuous line of outposts that will be completed this month.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Central District (GRC) was responsible for overseeing that work which included 23 border forts overlooking nearly 600 kilometers of Iraq’s remote western frontier. The final fort, Border Fort 32, located along the Saudi Arabian border, was recently completed.
Each of those castle-like, one-story structures, built by a crew of about 20 Iraqis, measures 24.25 meters by 19.5 meters. They are reinforced concrete masonry buildings with a raised center clerestory. Each features a dormitory area, kitchen, armory, observation posts, perimeter security lighting, berms, offices, showers, as well as electrical and plumbing services provided by on-site twin 50kV generators and six 250-gallon water tanks. Each facility is manned by 20 to 40 Border Police at all times.

Be nice to have a few of these on America's porous borders.

Aircraft Carrier Vs. Cruise Missile 6

From a 1995 study of Operation Desert Storm:

GAO reviewed the performance of two cruise missiles during OperationDesert Storm, focusing on the missiles': (1) advantages over tacticalaircraft; and (2) potential impact on future tactical weapons systemreqirements.
GAO found that:
(1) both the Navy's Tomahawk land attack missile and theAir Force's Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM) contributedto the success of U.S. combat operations during Desert Storm, due totheir high success rates of hitting their intended targets;
(2) someproblems with the Tomahawk included its limitations in its range,mission planning time, lethality, and difficulties in the desertterrain;
(3) CALCM warhead and guidance limited the types of targets itcould successfully attack;
(4) the Navy has funded programs to addressthe Tomahawk's limitations and the Air Force is proposing two improvedCALCM variants, but because of competing priorities, it has notrequested any funds;
(5) cruise missiles can be used in more conditionsthan tactical aircraft systems, can be used without additionalresources, and can strike targets without risking loss of aircraft orcrew members, but tactical aircraft systems can attack more mobiletargets and cost less; and
(6) fewer aircraft carriers may be requiredin the future because of the options available from cruise missiles.

Hard to Please

Israeli blogger Smoothstone posted this "An open letter to the World":

...it is because we became so upset over upsetting you, dear world, that we decided to leave you - in a manner of speaking - and establish a Jewish state. The reasoning was that living in close contact with you, as resident-strangers in the various countries that comprise you, we upset you, irritate you and disturb you. What better notion, then, than to leave you (and thus love you)- and have you love us and so, we decided to come home - home to the same land we were driven out 1,900 years earlier by a Roman world that, apparently, we also upset.Alas, dear world, it appears that you are hard to please.Having left you and your pogroms and inquisitions and crusades and holocausts, having taken our leave of the general world to live alone in our own little state, we continue to upset you.

Somehow, I believe Israel will outlast all her troubles, including us.

UN Call Hezbollah Cowards

Well, miracles do happen. This via YNetNews:

The U.N. humanitarian chief, returing from a visit to Beirut, accused Hizbullah on Monday of "cowardly blending" among Lebanese civilians and causing the deaths of hundreds... "I heard they were proud because they lost very few fighters and that it was the civilians bearing the brunt of this. I don't think anyone should be proud of having many more children and women dead than armed men." (AP)

CNN as Useful Idiots

Whats more, they admit it according to Newsbusters:

On CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday, CNN’s senior international correspondent Nic Robertson added all of the caveats and disclaimers that he should have included in his story last week that amounted to his giving an uncritical forum for the terrorist group Hezbollah to spout unverifiable anti-Israeli propaganda...Challenged by Reliable Sources host (and Washington Post media writer) Howard Kurtz on Sunday, Robertson suggested Hezbollah has “very, very sophisticated and slick media operations,” that the terrorist group “had control of the situation. They designated the places that we went to, and we certainly didn't have time to go into the houses or lift up the rubble to see what was underneath,” and he even contradicted Hezbollah’s self-serving spin: “There's no doubt that the [Israeli] bombs there are hitting Hezbollah facilities.”

Can we believe anything coming from the Mainstream Media anymore? I think not.

Americans Believe Bush

As well as the NY Times, Washington Post, the major networks ect... that Saddam's possessed WMDs:

Half of Americans now say Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the United States invaded the country in 2003 -- up from 36 percent last year, a Harris poll finds. Pollsters deemed the increase both "substantial" and "surprising" in light of persistent press reports to the contrary in recent years. The survey did not speculate on what caused the shift in opinion, which supports President Bush's original rationale for going to war. Respondents were questioned in early July after the release of a Defense Department intelligence report that revealed coalition forces recovered 500 aging chemical weapons containing mustard or sarin gas nerve agents in Iraq...Meanwhile, the Harris poll offered some positive feedback on Iraq. Seventy-two percent of respondents said the Iraqi people are better off now than under Saddam Hussein's regime -- a figure similar to that of 2004, when it stood at 76 percent. In addition, 64 percent say Saddam had "strong links" with al Qaeda, up from 62 percent in October 2004. Fifty-five percent said that "history will give the U.S. credit for bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq."

I was a believer before it was cool!

One War

Joe Bell says this is no time for Israel, or the West, to back down before tyranny:

Israel cannot appease its enemies. Israel gave the Sinai back to Egypt in 1949 yet remained unwelcome in the Middle East. While the world community has often demanded Israel trade land for peace that strategy has never worked. Whenever Israel withdrew from territory it controlled it was viewed by its enemies as a sign of weakness. That is not good policy in a region where, as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak once said, “there is no mercy for the weak.”

Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, sent the message that Israel was tired and dispirited. Also, Israel left Gaza less than one year ago and the attacks continued.The enemies of freedom are not united under joint command and they do not share a common state or ideology, but they have a global, or at least a regional, reach and they share a common goal – conquest. America must understand there is only one war and it must reinvigorate its effort to rally the forces of freedom, at home and abroad, against a rising dark tide.

Israel should be the poster boy for appeasing terrorists; It doesn't work. Give them an inch and they'll take your life.

Ike's Suez Blunder

William Rees-Mogg says we are living with the fallout of the 1956 Suez Crisis to this day:

It has been reported that President Eisenhower in his old age was asked what was the greatest mistake of his presidency, and replied, “Suez”. Certainly many Americans now see Eisenhower’s rebuff over Suez, which pushed Britain into the arms of the French and the Israelis, as a self-inflicted wound on American policy. That undermined the whole Western position in the Middle East, destroyed the friendly monarchy of Iraq and had a negative effect that lasts to this day.
Middle Eastern oil was as essential, in 1956 as now, to the economy and security of the United States, Europe and world trade. So long as Britain had influence in the Middle East, Britain would remain a real world power. Yet Britain could not maintain that influence without American support. Nasser’s nationalisation of the canal was a direct challenge to the West. Eden believed that the challenge had to be met. Eisenhower and Dulles, his Secretary of State, were not prepared to meet it...

Read the rest, very educational.

The Key to Hezbollah

This interesting analysis is by Oliver North:

The best way we can help end the current Mid-East conflict isn't to “pressure Israel” but to help break Hezbollah -- an entity that cannot exist without direction and support from Tehran. The key to Hezbollah is Tehran -- and the key to Tehran is -- strangely enough -- Pyongyang.
Tehran was stunned by last week's UN Security Council Resolution condemning North Korea's missile launches. Rather than trying to compel Israel to cease its military action against Hezbollah, we should instead pressure our western “allies” into a similarly strong-worded, enforceable resolution aimed at Tehran.

Its all about defeating the "Axis of Evil". Civilization is at stake.

Iraqi's Ready for Reconciliation

Lebanon could learn a lesson from the valiant new Iraq government:

The Iraqi government held the first meeting of a homegrown peace initiative Saturday, with the country's top leaders vowing to reconcile the groups involved in sectarian violence and to bring into the political fold insurgent groups ready to lay down their arms.
"This is an Iraqi initiative for those who are part of the political process," said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, according to the French news agency Agence France-Presse.
According to the AFP article, Maliki said the Supreme Committee for National Reconciliation received positive signals from some insurgent groups battling Coalition and Iraqi security forces...According to AFP, Iraqi leaders hope the new reconciliation committee will draw in groups prepared to compromise, while isolating violent extremists.
The prime minister said those who oppose Iraq’s policies are free to do so, but those who reject the peace process in favor of violence would be "pushed into a corner.”

This should be the Lebanese attitude: instead of blaming Bush or Israel for their problems, they should defeat extremism in their country by pushing Hezbollah into a corner.

Other Liberal Appeasers

Its not just an American problem, according to Arthur Weinreb:

Last week the opposition Liberals issued a statement critical of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s foreign policy, arguing that Canada needs to get back to its role as an intermediary. In other words, we should sit down with terrorists groups such as Hezbollah and presumably Hamas and talk. They like us so we can convince them to give up their terrorist ways. This desire to sit down and talk to terrorists brings appeasement to a whole new level that Neville Chamberlain would find hard to imagine.
According to interim leader Bill Graham, Israel’s actions are destabilizing Lebanon’s democracy and the entire Middle East. Not surprisingly, Graham has no suggestions of what Israel should do about the constant barrage of missiles that are reigning down on it. It’s not really important to the Liberals.

Nothing is important to Liberals. Only Peace, Peace at any cost, even freedom.

Kerry's World's of If

John Kerry ponders what might have been at a Detroit Bar:

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D- Mass., who was in town Sunday to help Gov. Jennifer Granholm campaign for her re-election bid, took time to take a jab at the Bush administration for its lack of leadership in the Israeli-Lebanon conflict.
"If I was president, this wouldn't have happened," said Kerry during a noon stop at Honest John's bar and grill in Detroit's Cass Corridor.

Sounds like he's had a little too much, but its easy to second guess, right Senator? Forget that Yasser Arrafat began his pointless intifada under the Democrats' watch. War doesn't solve every problem, but it has a better track record than appeasement.

The Case For Small Carriers

The time has come, according to Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD):

“I think we need to have a working group that's involved in a more deliberate consideration” of the issue of reducing the size of traditional aircraft carriers to enable procurement of more vessels that may be smaller, but can be distributed across the globe, House Armed Services projection forces subcommittee Chairman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) said...The issue of building smaller carriers has emerged periodically over the last few years, with the most recent instance coming last year when OFT, under the leadership of then-director Arthur Cebrowski released an Alternative Fleet Architecture Design study, which proposed building smaller warships and aircraft carriers to distribute Navy assets more widely across the seas.
Shrinking an aircraft carrier was also considered as part of an analysis of alternatives conducted in the late 90s before efforts to develop the Navy's next-generations carrier, CVN-21.
Bartlett believes it is time to revisit the issue because the increased used of precision guided weapons that raise the probability of destroying a target, may be reducing the need for carriers that in the past launched multiple planes to ensure a hit.
“I've been asking the question, with the vastly improved capabilities and weapons today, why do we need a carrier that is larger than the minimum size necessary to launch and retrieve a plane,” Bartlett said.

It seems the main reason for continued production of the large deck carrier is to keep jobs in certain Congressmen's districts, rather than for national security reasons. Yet, warfare has passed these vessles by.

Murdoc has more with comments.

Hezbollah's Plan for Victory

It depends on the Media's traditional willingness to be "Useful Idiots" according to Strategypage:

...Hizbollah is calculating that enough dead Lebanese civilians will cause European nations, and even the UN, to lean on Israel (perhaps even an embargo) and force a halt to the bombings. Hizbollah could even halt its rocket attacks, for a while anyway, and declare another victory. The two captured Israeli soldiers would never be surrendered except for hundreds of imprisoned terrorists. If Hizbollah gets enough world public opinion on their side, even this proposed trade will be seen as "reasonable", and Israel will be condemned for refusing to go along...So, despite the moral, military and intelligence advantages of Israel, Hizbollah is confident that growing European anti-Semitism (and anti-Israeli attitudes), media willingness to portray Hizbollah as a victim, and Lebanese unwillingness to do anything that would risk another civil war (the last went from 1975 to 1990), they can survive anything the Israelis throw at them, and come out a winner (in the minds of Arabs, at the very least).

Watching the mainstream news, it appears the MSM is already playing its part.

Israel Versus the Guerrillas

As America is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, Israel is learning the hard way the lessons of counter-insurgency. From DEBKAfile:

In South Lebanon, soldiers in their twenties are fighting tough, highly-trained guerrilla fighters for the first time on unfamiliar terrain without air or tank cover. Choppers are not used for fear of anti-air missile ambushes and the tanks in rugged mountain terrain are at the mercy of densely-placed roadside bombs and heavy Hizballah Katyusha rocket and mortar fire. Two tanks have been blown up. Ground troops are therefore taking the brunt of the fighting. Some report to DEBKAfile that in close combat, they have heard officers shouting in Farsi. Just as in Jenin 2002, Israeli forces encountered Hizballah and al Qaeda fighters in support of Palestinians, now they are facing members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who are aiding Hizballah in Lebanon.
The men come home with hair-raising accounts of storming the hundreds of bunkers and caves in which Hizballah fighters are lurking. On Wednesday, July 19, Israeli soldiers fought their way into a tunnel in the Maroun es Ras area, blew it up killing the 10-15 fighters inside, and emerged to engage another group of Hizballah hiding in the dense foliage a few yards away. A hand-to-hand battle ensued in which the first two soldiers, 1st Sgt Yonatan Hadasi, 21, and 1st Sgt. Yotam Gilboa lost their lives. Israel’s death toll would have been higher had not rescue and ambulance teams braved heavy fire to extricate the wounded. Five years of tactics used against the rag-tag Palestinian terrorists - painstaking counter-measures, air strikes on empty buildings, succumbing to diplomatic pressure for restraint, have left the IDF ill-prepared to face tough Hizballah guerrilla methods of warfare.

But this doesn't mean they are losing (as has been said of US troops), rather they are LEARNING!.

Why Israel Fights

This reprint of a letter written 38 years ago, after the Jewish capture of Jerusalem, is from MidEast-On Target:

On every Yom Kippur and Passover we fervently voiced the hope that next year would find us in Jerusalem. Your inquisitions, pogroms, expulsions, the ghettos into which you jammed us, your forced baptisms, your quota systems, your genteel anti-semitism, and the final unspeakable horror, the holocaust (and worse, your terrifying disinterest in it)-all these have not broken us. They may have sapped what little moral strength you still possessed, but they forged us into steel. Do you think that you can break us now, after all we have been through? Do you really believe that after Dachau and Auschwitz we are frightened by your threats of blockades and sanctions? We have been to Hell and back-a Hell of your making. What more could you possibly have in your arsenal that could scare us?

I have watched this city bombarded twice by nations calling themselves civilized. In 1948, while you looked on apathetically, I saw women and children blown to smithereens, this after we had agreed to your request to internationalize the city. It was a deadly combination that did the job: British officers; Arab gunners and American-made cannon.

And then the savage sacking of the Old City: the willful slaughter, the wanton destruction of every synagogue and religious school: the desecration of Jewish cemeteries; the sale by a ghoulish government of tomb stones for building materials, for poultry runs, army camps-even latrines.

And you never said a word.

Please read all.

Israel's War of Attrition

This short article from the Washington Times suggests Israel knows what its doing in Lebanon. I tend to agree:

We asked a former Navy combat pilot to assess the Israeli air force's war against Hezbollah. He told us: "I'm reminded of the 1982 war with Syria. I was sitting off the coast of Lebanon on the USS Independence. Every day there would be headlines about how the Syrians had shot down another Israeli aircraft. A close look at the news clips showed that they had actually shot down a UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle]/drone — not an Israeli aircraft. This was, in fact, an Israeli tactic. They knew how many SAMs [surface-to-air missiles] Syria had and were counting down the attrition rate. They denied Syria any Soviet resupply of those SAM assets. When Israel had determined that Syria had expended their inventory of SAMs, they launched a tremendous air strike against Syria, which resulted in a victory within about 48 hours. "So, today, I think the war of attrition is still the plan.

Read the rest. If I were an Israeli general, I would draw Hezbollah as close as I could toward the border, then hit them in the rear with an amphibious invasion, ala MacArthur at Inchon.

Operation Gaugamela

This info in from a CentCom press release:

KIRKUK, Iraq (July 20, 2006) – Thursday morning, Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division and Bastogne Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division simultaneously surrounded and entered the cities of Hawija and Riyadh, just west of Kirkuk, searching for suspected al-Qaeda terrorists as combined Operation Gaugamela (gaw'guh-MEE-luh), gets underway.

The ongoing operation, requested by local Sunni Arab leaders, follows a series of terror attacks in the area, and comes as there are reports indicating the presence of al-Qaeda terror cells in the area. In the past five weeks, 31 Iraqi soldiers have been killed in terrorist attacks in the region and just three days ago six policemen were killed in Hawija.

In Hawija, Bastogne Soldiers and Iraqi Security Forces surrounded the city, blocking off escape routes, as another combined force air assaulted into the market in the heart of the city. The units are cordoning off the area and searching for terrorist forces. Meanwhile, Iraqi Security and Coalition Forces surrounded the village of Riyadh, approximately 10 miles away, and are also searching that city.

Operation Gaugamela is named for the battle in which Alexander drove the Persian army from the city of Gaugamela.

The Evacuations Begin

These photos of the evacuations of US citizens from Lebanon are courtesy of Navy.mil.

Bush: Children Are Not Spare Parts

Bush finally uses his veto, for a very noble cause:

President Bush yesterday vetoed the first bill of his presidency, rejecting an attempt to overturn his limits on federal support for embryonic-stem-cell research and criticizing opponents in Congress who blocked an alternative measure that would have funded nonembryonic-stem-cell research... "If this bill would have become law, American taxpayers would, for the first time in our history, be compelled to fund the deliberate destruction of human embryos, and I'm not going to allow it," Mr. Bush said, drawing a standing ovation from supporters in the White House East Room. He stood in front of a group of parents holding babies that they had adopted as frozen embryos and then had them carried to term. "These boys and girls are not spare parts," Mr. Bush said. "They remind us that we all begin our lives as a small collection of cells. And they remind us that in our zeal for new treatments and cures, America must never abandon our fundamental morals."

Modern research scientists seem to be taking over where the Nazi body banks left off in WW 2.

The Final Surrender

Remember John Burtis' dad in your prayers. Here is a son's tribute:

I remember the final scene in the movie Titanic, where the lone survivor is welcomed aboard the ghostly ship, now come alive with lights and people in the grand promenade.

And I picture the same return for my father when his time finally comes — his climbing to the bridge of his LST, the smoke and fire of Normandy, the planes overhead, the smell of battle joined for the liberation of Europe, and his long lost shipmates — those he has spoken of for so many years and whose pictures I now possess.

I can also see the old man in the jump seat of that perfect red ’53 American LaFrance Custom in Port Dickinson, NY, gold leaf letters painted on its doors, racing to a fire, with his childhood pals aboard, in his striped coat and leather helmet, serving his community as he knew best for 42 years.

It’s interesting to see how the generational torch is passed — first with the auto, then in care, in silence, then with the phone calls to a doctor I’ve never met, to administrators in his assisted living home, to the nurses on his floor, in conversations with his CPA, and with my kid brother, who lives in Fort Worth, not too far away. And soon to his attorney.

And now I’m waiting for another call from my brother, all grown up, now, with a son in ROTC, with the results of a cat scan and the reasons why my old man can no longer speak, and I realize that another member of the great generation is preparing for the calling of retreat and that final playing of taps.

God speed to them both!

No More Right or Wrong

Things sure have changed, beginning in the 1960's, according to Arthur Weinreb:

The world has changed a lot from the time when World War I and II were fought and this change could very well result in the downfall of civilization as we know it. The world is governed not by notions of right or wrong but is completely ruled by post 1960s notions of political correctness. Had political correctness been around during the first half of the last century we wouldn’t have had World II either. While the president of the United States would be making "Germans are a peaceful people" speeches, we would all be trying to understand exactly what poor Hitler’s grievances actually were. Why is he acting this way? No doubt his childhood would be found to have been a major factor. The media would be consumed with the tragedy that beset all of those poor peaceful Germans who were forced to leave their families and jobs to take part in the invasion of Poland or man the gas chambers. And the Allies would be cautioned at length not to participate in the war that would undoubtedly be constantly referred to as "immoral". Every death of a civilian would be treated as a reason why the war should be stopped. The only thing that would be missing in this scenario would be the fact that the state of Israel had not yet come into being to blame everything on.

I was watching the evacuations of US citizens from Lebanon on the news: seems like these ungrateful Americans who should never have been in a country half controlled by terrorists, were doing some Katrina-like complaining. It was all Bush's and Israel's fault, and not Hezbollah who started it.

Masada's Heirs

Rather than being destroyed by the Islamo-Fascists, Israel will bring about the demise of the radicals, says Beryl Wajsman:

Israel, this tiny bastion of liberty, is to these Islamo-Fascists what republican Spain was to Hitler. But unlike the Spanish Republicans Israel will not fall. If the western world flags in its support for a sister democracy, its own consciences will.
Israel understands full well the meaning of "carpe diem" seize the day! That precisely at a time of siege, a free people must seize the tide and turn it towards the destruction of the mightiest walls of oppression. To keep faith with the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson to "pledge eternal vigilance against any attempt at tyranny over the mind of man" ...

Everyone knows the story of the 900 Jewish rebels who fortified themselves on the mountaintop of Masada and killed themselves rather than submit to Roman domination. Today, Israeli tank commanders take their oath on that mountaintop with the pledge that "Masada shall never fall again."!

Israel is actually doing Lebanon a favor in this renewed war, by ridding it of the pestilence of Hezbollah. As Charles Krauthammer says "The road to a solution is therefore clear: Israel liberates south Lebanon and gives it back to the Lebanese."

MiLinks

Mullah's Man in the West. John Burtis at his best!

Joint High-Speed Vessel Taking Shape. The future of seaborne operations.

Elder Bush Visits Carrier Namesake. The carrier also gets a face-lift!

Lockheed Martin awarded Australian Aegis contract. More power to the Aussies!

US clears path to Taiwan submarine deal. Thanks to North Korea no doubt.

Israeli Corvette Suffers Iranian Missile Attack. Designed by China and delivered by Hizbollah.

No More Sea Swap for Destroyers. Maybe the Navy just doesn't have enough sailors?

Boeing Scores Direct Hit In Laser JDAM Moving Target Test. Maybe one day they'll test a laser against a moving target!

Lockheed Tests Guided MLRS Unitary Rockets. America's version of the Katyusha!

Estimating the Real Cost of Modern Fighter Aircraft. This is a pdf file.

THAAD System Intercepts Live Missile Target. Just in time.

Patrolling the Arctic with Satellites. Canada has a better way!

EA-18G Program: The USA's Electronic Growler. Replacing the Prowler.

Bell's 407 Armed Reconnaisance Helicopter. An off-the-shelf plane repacing the mulit-billion dollar Comanche.

RAF gets "Exceptional" new Nimrod. Touted as the best patrol plane in the world.

Love Australia or Leave It

This great story from Down Under offers vital lessons if America is to survive as a nation:

Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to (Prime Minister John) Howard, hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular State and its laws were made by parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country that has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you", he said on national television. "Immigrants, not Australians must adapt. Take it or leave it. I am tired of this Nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some who were born here, need to understand. The idea of Australia being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Australians we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese or Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you want to become part of our society,...learn the language. Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push but a fact because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture. We will accept your beliefs and will not question why, all we ask is that you accept ours and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us. If the Southern Cross offends you or you don't like a "Fair Go" then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.

We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. By all means, keep your culture but do not force it on others. This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining and griping about our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other great Australian freedom: THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

Read the whole thing. Great stuff!

Evacuations to Rival Dunkirk

This interesting analogy is from the UK Times Online:

WHEN the Royal Navy warships arrive off Lebanon on Wednesday, they will be ready to mount the biggest evacuation of British citizens since the Second World War.
Although the Government has not yet decided to issue a “national evacuation order”, HMS Illustrious, the aircraft carrier, and HMS Bulwark, a new commando assault ship, have been sent to the Lebanese coast. They will use their helicopters and landing craft to take thousands of trapped British citizens off the beaches in Beirut if the order to evacuate is given...British nationals will be ferried off in landing craft and helicopters over several days. Those removed by ship are likely to be taken to Cyprus while negotiations continue to try to end the conflict. There are thought to be 10,000 British expatriates and 15,000 dual nationality residents in Lebanon...

Not only are British being taken off:

US reconnaissance teams arrived in the Lebanese capital last night to assess plans to evacuate some 20,000 Americans from Beirut. Canada said that it was sending commercial ships to evacuate the 16,000 citizens who are registered with its embassy in Beirut.

Thankfully, it is peaceful evacuation of civilians, rather the Army under attack by the German Luftwaffe as during WW2.

Blaming Israel

This is from Mona Charen at the Washington Times:

The Washington Post, hoping to provide context for this crisis, provides a chart in the July 13 edition labeled "Events that led to the military escalation in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon." Under "Gaza," The Post starts with the swearing-in of the Hamas government March 29. Fair enough. But the next item is "June 9: Explosion kills seven members of a Gaza family. Witnesses blame Israeli artillery, but Israel denies it." Missing is any reference to the nonstop shelling of Israel from the Gaza Strip that began in 2005 and has not let up since. Nearly 3,000 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel. And why? If you believe the conventional wisdom about the conflict, getting Israeli "occupying" forces out of Gaza (and the West Bank) was exactly what the Palestinians most fervently wished to achieve. The occupation, they ceaselessly wailed, kept them from a decent life, economic advancement, dignity and peace. They could not be expected, advised Hanan Ashrawi and a host of other spokesmen, to cease their terror against Israel so long as the occupation continued. When Israel, for its own reasons, elected to accommodate them and withdrew from Gaza (even uprooting several thousand Israeli settlers in the process), the Palestinian moment should have dawned.

I agree. The Philistines Palestinians had so many opportunities to be at peace, but their warlike nature prevents them time and again. Its easier and politically correct to blame Israel.

Hezbollah Gets No Respect

And rightly so. This is from the Washington Post:

Nearly a week of fighting in Israel and Lebanon has prompted the two countries' Arab neighbors to express broad support for the civilians caught in the path of Israel's military assault and a measure of anger over the Hezbollah attack that triggered it.
In comments, news conferences and official statements, leaders from throughout the Arab Middle East have voiced concern over the plight of the people of Lebanon and their government, as well as for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the focus of an Israeli operation that is now ending its third week. A few countries -- notably Saudi Arabia and Jordan, both U.S. allies -- have made clear that their sympathy does not extend to Hezbollah and suggested that violence that followed Wednesday's raid into Israel by the Lebanese Shiite militia could -- and should -- have been avoided.

Miracles do happen, such as a liberal newpaper reporting good news from the Global War on Terror for a change.

Too Much Reliance on Hi-Tech

In combat conditions, nothing takes the place of well trained troops, according to this from Defense News (via Defense tech):

In interviews here, security experts and military officers not directly involved in the fighting say there are fundamental flaws in Israel’s budget-draining techno-centric defensive strategy, which is being funded at the expense of training and discipline throughout the lower echelons of active-duty and reserve forces.
It is intolerable, sources here assert, that Hamas commandos from Gaza and Hizbollah fighters in south Lebanon — within a 10-day period and despite early warnings — were allowed to sneak across borders fortified by a network of manned, unmanned and ground-based systems...One IDF brigadier general said... "With all due credit to technology and the capabilities it provides, we cannot neglect basic soldiering and discipline. But time and again, we’ve seen our training budget gutted to allow for full-bore investment in Tzayad [the IDF’s digital Army program, a rough equivalent of the U.S.' Future Combat Systems]. And now we’re seeing the results blowing up in our faces."

Then there was the story about how an Israeli warship failed to turn on anti-missile radar while she was in combat zone. The fog of war.

The Shrinking Times

More good news from the Global War on Terror, from NewsMax:

The New York Times Co. plans to reduce the width of its flagship newspaper by an inch and a half and close a printing plant in Edison, N.J., resulting in the loss of about 250 jobs, the company announced Tuesday.
The reduction in width will bring the paper's size in line with what is becoming an industry standard. USA Today, the nation's largest-selling daily, already prints on the smaller size, and Dow Jones & Co.'s Wall Street Journal, the No. 2-selling daily, is moving to the smaller size early next year.
The changes at The New York Times will go into effect by the second quarter of 2008, the company said in a statement early Tuesday, and will save about $42 million a year. The job cuts account for about one-third of the Times' total production work force of 800.

I was watching CNN this morning whose hosts really downplayed the significance of this, blaming the internet and cable news for the decline in the Times viewership. No mention of flubbed reporting and treasonist leaking of our vital National Security secrets to our terrorsits enemies.

Chinese Designed Missile Hits Israeli Ship

This is from Defense Update:

According to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sources, the attack was conducted by Chinese C-802. Apparently, two missiles were launched toward the Israel Navy Ship (INS) Hanit (Spear), SAAR V class corvette patrolling the Lebanese coast 16 kilometers from the shore. The attack was a coordinated, simultaneous “high/low” attack - the first “high” missile passed over the Israeli ship. Missing the target, it continued flying, hitting and sinking a civilian Egyptian ship cruising 60 kilometers from the shore. The second missile followed a sea-skimming flight profile hitting the Israeli vessel at the stern, killing four sailors and setting the flight deck on fire and crippling the propulsion systems inside the hull. Surviving the potentially devastating attack INS Hanit returned to Ashdod naval base for repairs...C-801 radar guided anti-ship missile weighs about 750 kg, it is powered by a rocket motor and has a range of 40 km and is equipped with 100 kg warhead. The upgraded C-802 uses a rocket booster for launch, and a turbojet cruise motor, giving it a range of up to 140. The warhead uses about 180 kg of shaped charge explosives, which makes it a most capable threat to major warships including U.S. aircraft carriers.

Defense Tech has more plus updates.

Also, CDR Salamander has comments with links.

Sunnis Want Americans to Stay

This is from the New York Slimes Times:

As sectarian violence soars, many Sunni Arab political and religious leaders once staunchly opposed to the American presence here are now saying they need American troops to protect them from the rampages of Shiite militias and Shiite-run government forces...The new stance is one of the most significant shifts in attitude since the war began. It could influence White House plans for a reduction of the 134,000 troops here and help the Americans expand dialogue with elements of the insurgency.

The Times reporting good news from Iraq is also a "significant shift". Maybe they are a little contrite?

Bush Caught on Tape

Telling it like it is! This page from Yahoo News also includes a video:

Bush replied: "What they need to do it to get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this #&%$." Shortly afterwards Blair noticed the microphone and hastily switched it off, but not before the recording had reached news media.

What a great President we have! A real Harry Truman. We need one these days.

Iranian Silkworm Hit Israeli Ship?

At least according to this news site:

DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal that the warship was struck from Beirut by an Iran-made C-802 shore-to-sea missile of the Silkworm family. Weighing 715 kilos, with a range of 120km, the missile is armed with a strong anti-jamming capability, which lends it a 98% success rate in escaping interception.
The Israeli ship is armed with an advanced Barak anti-missile system, which may have missed the incoming missile. Israeli military planners must now look at the vulnerability of the navy following the appearance of the first Iranian C-802 missiles.

And claims the entire crisis was a planned distraction by Tehran:

July 12, the day that Hizballah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, was also the deadline for Iran to deliver its answer to the six-power package of incentives for giving up its nuclear enrichment program. Tehran let the day go by without an answer. Someone should have kept an eye on Iran’s Lebanese surrogate and made the connection with a fresh virulent threat against Israel from Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Now the world can turn from Iran's defiance, and blame Israel again. Hopefully it will backfire on the mullahs on Tehran.

Soldiers Donate Wheelchairs

My Dad is in a wheelchair, so I can understand how much this is appreciated. From CentCom:

Aziz showed up at the Q-West Base Complex Civilian-Military Operations Center with a wide grin and a unique story.
The young boy told Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment and a team from the 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion about his family and his siblings, five of whom suffer from a degenerative disease.
Abdul Karim, Bishra, Mahmoud, Ra’ad and Raija Salman, each received a new set of wheels in the form of pediatric wheelchairs donated by charitable organizations in the United States and delivered by the Soldiers June 29 here.
Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids and ROC Wheels provided the 12 pediatric wheelchairs, which the 4-11th Counter Rocket Patrol, medics from the battalion aid station, and the 403rd delivered to the siblings, as well as to another disabled 19-year-old in the neighboring town of Ujbah.
Sgt. Jason Foy, of Indio, Calif., and Spc. Christopher McCuiston, of Ann Arbor, Mich., both combat medics, showed their fellow Soldiers and the Salmans’ family members how to fit the wheelchairs to each patient and make adjustments.
The medics were chosen for the mission due to their prior experience in fitting wheelchairs, said Foy. They received additional training from another medic as well as a training video included with the chairs.

Korea Worries About Tokyo Buildup

Despite the dire threat just a stone's throw from Seoul, South Korea is more concerned about the arms buildup ongoing from Japan:

Every time North Korea fired missiles, Japan was quick to exaggerate the danger of North Korea and to step up its armament. Japan already possesses one of the biggest military powers in the world in terms of both weapons and budget. Some say that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) has limits, because the Japanese SDF is composed of only officers and has never been at war. Experts point out, however, that Japan has the potential to manufacture nuclear weapons and is one of the three biggest military forces in the world, if its electronic weapons equipped with cutting-edge technology...The self-defense forces might end up doing more than self-defense. It is breaking free of its inhibitions one by one.
Japan has long been working to increase its military strength. Citing the North Korean threat, it enacted its three war-time laws, integrated its ground, maritime, and air forces of the Japan Self-defense Agency, and developed a missile defense system. It abolished a part of its three rules prohibiting the export of weapons, and dispatched its forces in what it called an effort for world peace.

Though I can understand Korea's concern considering Japan's warlike history, this sounds like the Left in our on country saying "America used the excuse of 9/11 to invade other countries." What would they have us do, ignore those who would seek to destroy our civilization and way of life? Apparently so. Democracies are now the real threat to peace, according those who would appease dictators.

Aircraft Carrier Vs. Cruise Missile 5

This is a review of the 2002 Millennium Challenge II naval exercise, conducted just before Operation Iraqi Freedom:

Carriers are not only the biggest and most expensive ships ever built--they're the most vulnerable. Because even one serious cruise-missile hit means the carrier can't launch its planes, its best weapons. They will sink to the bottom with their crews, not having fired a shot.
That was the real lesson of Millennium Challenge II. And that's what has the Navy so furious at van Riper: he blew their cover. He showed all the hicks back home that the carrier battle fleet can be sunk by "small planes and boats." As weapons become smaller and deadlier, big targets just won't survive.
The signs have been there all along. In the Falklands War, the Argentine Air Force, which ain't exactly the A Team, managed to shred the British fleet, coming in low and fast to launch the Exocets. And they did all this hundreds of miles off their coast, with no land-based systems to help.
If the Argentines could do that with 1980 technology, think what the Chinese, Iranians or North Koreans could do in 2003 against a city-size floating target like a US carrier.
If your local library has copies of Jane's Weapons Systems, check out the anti-ship missile section. The top of the line in standard weaponry might still be the old US Harpoon, but you don't need anything that fancy. Anti-ship missiles are easy to make and use, because surface ships are very slow, have huge radar signatures, and can't dodge.
We may be lucky a little while longer, as long as we take on losers like Iraq. But what about Iran? The Iranians aren't cowardly slaves like the Iraqis. They're smart, they're dedicated, and they hate us like poison. Imagine how many "small aircraft and boats" there are along the Iranian coastline. Imagine every one of those craft stuffed full of explosives and turned into kamikazes. Now add all the anti-ship missiles the Iranians have been able to buy on the open market. If you really want to get scared, add a nuke or two.
Suppose the Iranians use van Riper's method: send everything at once, from every ship, plane and boat they've got, directly at the carrier. Give the Navy the benefit of the doubt and say they get 90% of the incoming missiles. You still end up with a dead carrier.
Now try shifting the scenario to a US-China fight off Taiwan. The Chinese have it all: subs, planes, anti-ship missiles-Hell, they SELL that stuff to other countries! I'll say it plain: no American carrier would last five minutes in a full-scale naval battle off China.

The Marine

This was sent to me by Email:

THE MARINE
We all came together,
Both young and old
To fight for our freedom,
To stand and be bold.
In the midst of all evil,
We stand our ground,
And we protect our country
From all terror around.
Peace and not war,
Is what some people say.
But I'll give my life,
So you can live the American way.
I give you the right
To talk of your peace.
To stand in your groups,
and protest in our streets.
But still I fight on,
I don't bitch, I don't whine.
I'm just one of the people
Who is doing your time.
I'm harder than nails,
Stronger than any machine.
I'm the immortal soldier,
I'm a U.S. MARINE!
So stand in my shoes,
And leave from your home.
Fight for the people who hate you,
With the protests they've shown
Fight for the stranger,
Fight for the young.
So they all may have,
The greatest freedom you've won.
Fight for the sick,
Fight for the poor
Fight for the cripple,
Who lives next door.
But when your time comes,
Do what I've done.
For if you stand up for freedom,
You'll stand when the fight's done.

By: Corporal Aaron M. Gilbert,
US Marine Corps
USS SAIPAN, PERSIAN GULF

Senate Refuses Fence Funding

I just posted yesterday that the Senate will keep trying to grant concessions to Illegals. Now they are backing down on promises made:

Less than two months after voting overwhelmingly to build 370 miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico, the Senate yesterday voted against providing funds to build it. "We do a lot of talking. We do a lot of legislating," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican whose amendment to fund the fence was killed on a 71-29 vote.

Not sure what Congress' motives are, whether just plain stupidity in giving up our sovereignty, or an attempt to pander to the Hispanic community for votes. Either way they are alienating their base and the majority of Americans.

Bush Defends Israel

And takes a stand against Terror, but as usual he is mostly alone:

President Bush has a straightforward message for Russian leader Vladimir Putin and world leaders at their summit: when possible, speak with a single voice in combating crises such as the flare-up in the Middle East...Bush's strong support of Israel put him at odds with European Union allies two days before U.S. had sought a united stand at the G-8 summit against Iran's nuclear ambitions and North Korea's long-range missile test.

The Israeli attacks on Lebanon were criticized by both G-8 members Russia and France.

No surprise there. America is still alone showing any leadership against terrorist groups.

Elmo Supports the Troops

Well, their families anyway. This is from NewsMax:

With a little help from Elmo, Sesame Street is urging parents to level with their little ones - especially those in military families trying to deal with Mom or Dad's lengthy deployment overseas.
"Our goal is to really get military families with young children ... to talk about the different stages of deployment with their children, not only talk about it but prepare them for it," said Jeanette Betancourt, vice president of content design at Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street...

The DVD shows Elmo and his parents preparing for Elmo's dad to be deployed, though it doesn't say where he's going.
The characters discuss their feelings, exchange keepsakes and review the reasons why Elmo can't go, too. They promise to think about one another often, and keep up their regular practice of saying goodnight to the moon.
"Elmo, you know, no matter where I am, I'll still be able to see the moon, just like you," his dad says.

This is a pleasant change, and I hope more cartoon characters pitch in with the war effort!