The Awakening in Iraq

Bill Roggio describes how former insurgent supporters are turning on their country's tormentors:

Awakening movements have now been effectively established in the
four provinces surrounding Baghdad. The Government of Iraq is funding the
military arm of the movements, and incorporating the local tribal forces into
provincial police forces. This movement is an integral part of the attempt to
secure Baghdad and the outlying belts, where al
Qaeda and Sunni insurgents have established networks from which they launch
deadly suicide attacks inside the capital. The movements in Babil, Diyala, and
Salahadin are still in their infancy, and the Iraqi government and Multinational
Forces Iraq must take care to protect their leaders and support their efforts in
the military, political, economic, and reconstruction spheres.

Appears here the Awakening is spreading. With the Surge now given a decent chance for success, with the passing and signing of the Iraq Funding Bill, the future for democracy in the region has never shown brighter!

Chavez Supporters Shoot at Students

Via Gateway Pundit-"The Chavista thugs were out in force on the streets shooting up student protesters!"

What Can We Learn from Venezuela Crisis

Pajamas Media has a thought-provoking list:

•First, as Samizdata pointed out,
democracy is no sure defense against tyranny: Indeed, history, from back in
Roman times, shows that tyranny frequently comes to power through legitimate
means.
• Constitutional guarantees mean nothing without the support
of independent and strong national institutions.
• International organizations do not carry much weight:
Reporters Without Borders, The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights
Watch, the Human Rights Foundation, and Amnesty International all filed
resolutions condemning the closing of RCTV. They were ignored.
• Many left-wing voices in the U.S. are not interested in
freedom of expression. Daily Kos, Tariq Ali, and others believe that RCTV got
what was coming to it.
• Chavez is not at all interested in the opinions of other
countries: Chile, Peru, the US Senate, and the European Parliament have condemned Chavez’s decision not to renew RCTV’s license. What he
wants is to implement his “informational hegemony”.

Yes, it is sad Jimmy Carter and others who seem so concerned about imaginary civil rights abuses in the US are silent on this.

Military Details Al Qaeda Torture

This from Multi-National Force Iraq, on the recent liberation of 41 Iraqi prisoners from Terrorists, by our brave and brilliant troops:

...some of the men, mostly Sunnis, had lash marks on their backs
and rope burns on their wrists and ankles. Some had been held as long as four
months. He said their main diet was figs and water. One of the freed prisoners
was a 13-year-old boy, Goins said, but most were provincial government workers
and local merchants. Some Shiia hostages had been held at the prison, but al
Qaeda had killed them all...

As the President always said, "we don't do torture", but we can put a stop to it. Funny Dick Durbin is not railing about this on the Senate floor.

The Beginning of the End for Chavez?

Interesting analysis from the American Thinker:

The ruling Chavistas are in a panic. They do not know what to do.
Chavez himself mocked the protestors Tuesday and implied they were CIA agents -
but Venezuelans noticed that he spoke from the naval airport near
Caracas, a place from where dictators are known to flee the country. Venezuelans
wondered if he was really that scared because it was an odd location. Meanwhile,
other Chavistas have bared their fangs at other TV stations, vowing to shut
them - Globovision, the last Venezuelan dissident station, a very tiny
one that takes subscriptions and commands only a 5% market share, and CNN,
whose fearless Kitty Pilgrim and others have done award-worthy reporting
exposing the reality of Chavez's Venezuela for the past few years. Chavez
has loudly cursed that reporting.

This could be Chavez' death knell, though its too soon to tell. He at least must be getting worried. Had he acted decisively and nipped the anarchy in the bud, he might have saved himself. I keep waiting for Venezuela's Boris Yeltsin to get on his bullhorn, but looks like the country is full of Yeltsins!

"We hate you -- let us in!"

Interesting Quote from John Hinderacker via Instapundit:

"For what it's worth, I think this kind of episode has more impact
on Americans' attitudes toward other countries than is generally recognized. The
fact that millions of Americans witnessed the rudeness in Mexico City will not
make matters easier for those who are pushing immigration legislation in
Congress."

Lets hope so! The Mexican treatment of our Miss America is a clarion call against amnesty, and an affront to us all.

Climatologist Generals

Gerd Schroeder in the American Thinker responds to retired generals who were asleep on their own watch, and wants us to ignore Islamic Fascism again:

While the true emerging threat was in asymmetric war or terrorism,
these climatologist generals were focused on, and caused the military to devote
manpower and resources mostly to massed armored and mechanized formations
rolling through the Folda Gap in Germany, along with strategic bombing.
These same generals resisted addressing the rising threat of urban warfare,
terrorist warfare, and other "hugging" methods of combat that mitigated the
might of a technologically advanced and superiorly resourced and trained
military's overmatch capabilities.
While General Zinni preached
containment of Iraq in the late 1990s, Al Qaeda prepared and launched several
attacks from General Zinni's area of responsibility in the central
region.

Many is the Pentagon wants to repeat this mistake, but focusing all our sparse resources on Guam against China, while our priorities should be terrorism emerging from the Third World, from Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Global Warming seems to be a distraction from the real threat to our security. While we try to combat acts of God, socialists are suing the issue to create more government and less freedom. Seems to be working out for them.

Plus, Don Surber reports on "Global Cooling".

Anti-Mortar/Rocket Gun in Action

Israel can sure use one of these! This is the old Navy CIWS gun first deployed in the 1980's as a last-ditch cruise missile defense for warships. Now it will do the same on land.

Anti-Americanism does Miss Universe

Here is Michelle Malkin on the poor treatment of Miss USA in Mexico recently:

On Monday night, the beautiful young woman who represented
America in the Miss Universe pageant was booed and mocked as she competed on
stage in Mexico City. Rachel Smith, 22, did her best to respond with grace and
dignity during the top-five finalists’ interview segment as the audience
disrupted the event. As soon as co-host Vanessa Minnillo invited Miss USA to
pick a judge’s name from a bowl of index cards, widespread howls broke out at
the mere mention of “USA.”

The verbal derision continued as judge Tony Romo asked Smith
to pick one moment in her life she would relive.Definitely not this one.Smith
soldiered through her answer, describing an educational trip to South Africa.
Catcalls and whistles nearly drowned out Smith’s reply until she wrapped up with
“Buenos noches, Mexico.”I wouldn’t have been so polite.

Maybe we should open our borders and then everyone will like us, right? Yeah right. Keep the pressure on the politicians, folks.

Another Gas Revolt

Some of you may have gotten the following in your email:

Here's the idea: For the rest of this year, DON'T>
>>>>>>> purchase ANY gasoline from >
>>>>>>> the two biggest companies (which now are one),
EXXON> >>>>>>> and MOBIL.>
>>>>>>>

This is another mass email attempt to affect the price of gas without hurting ourselves at the pump. Kinda like wanting to lose weight but still eating all the fatty foods we like. Notice that they are trying to hurt American Oil Companies. Forget about foreign firms like BP or even Citgo, the latter which is owned by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

The only way gas is going to ever go down is for the market to get full. This will fail to happen as long as states refuse to allow more refineries in their back yards. Another alternative which will never happen is for rising economies like India and China to suddenly cut back on fuel consumption. Of course, ending the war and a more stable Middle East might also be effective in easing your pain at the pump. So, until that happens, maybe we should be like the troops and soldier on with as little complaint as possible, and stop blaming ourselves for all the world's problems.

Creation Museum Open!

Hearing alot of mocking in from the media and the blogosphere, which makes me think this worth checking out. From the website:

The Creation Museum presents a "walk through history." Designed by
a former Universal Studios exhibit director, this state-of-the-art 60,000 square
foot museum brings the pages of the Bible to life.
A fully engaging, sensory
experience for guests. Murals and realistic scenery, computer-generated visual
effects, over fifty exotic animals, life-sized people and dinosaur animatronics,
and a special-effects theater complete with misty sea breezes and rumbling
seats. These are just some of the impressive exhibits that everyone in your
family will enjoy

.

I happen to believe in the Biblical view of how the earth was created. When I hear an evolutionist describe events supposedly happening millions of years ago, I have to ask "were you there, Charlie?" God was.

Force Protection in the News

Several interesting articles concerning the Ladson, SC based maker of IED resident vehicles:


Video: A new vehicle for an IED war


The Humvee-killer

Critical Gear Needed in Iraq

Trouble for Chavez

Has the Venezuelan Dictator gone too far by shutting down a popular TV station? Publius Pundit reports with photos and links:

Students went on strike all over Venezuela today, shutting
down every major university in the name of free speech. El Universal reports that it's about eight big ones with all
the kids marching onto OAS headquarters to urge the hemisphere's
democracy-certifier to grow a spine. Miguel has a live
report about what he saw in the streets, as well as
photos. It sounds like turmoil and now troops have opened fire with rubber bullets and tear gas to
break up the protests.

These began last night - they are well chronicled by Jim at
GatewayPundit here - and have extended through to today.
Megaresistencia, citing Union Radio, reports that numerous students at Simon
Bolivar University were injured in tear gas and rubber bullet attacks by
Chavista troops here.

The people must fight for their freedom, and often alone, though I know President Bush is for them as he has been for other oppressed nations over the years. This could be the first crack in the dictator Chavez's socialist paradise. Stay tuned...

Also, Old Controller, here in SC reports:

And while looking for links and material, I found this, posted at Michael Moore's website on July
15, 2006:

"The media is far freer in Venezuela than it is here in
the US. Stations after station are hostile to the Chavez government even openly
calling for his overthrow at times."

Not anymore they aren't.

Imagine Bush doing this. Sorry, never happen, but keep hope alive Lefties!

Also, this just in: Venezuela to sue CNN. Like Cindy Sheehan, Chavez is turning his best friends against him.

More:Libertas calls Chavez "Danny Glover's Producer".

The Bright Side of High Gas

Over the Holiday, I was at my parent's house in Branchville, debating whether to buy fertilizer at double price from a local Dollar General, or drive 20 miles to Orangeburg and get it cheaper. Kind of a no brainer, huh? But its very hard to get over the mindset that its cheaper to drive to Wal-Mart and find bargains galore, when what we need may be in our own neighborhood. More expensive, true, but with gas prices the way they are it all evens out, right?

When I was living downtown Charleston on Vanderhorst Street, I frequented that little Eckards on Calhoun, which I dubbed my "little Wal-Mart". They usually had everything I wanted from coffee to DVD players, and pretty reasonable if I caught them on sale. Plus it was only 2-3 blocks away! How's that for sticking it to OPEC!

So I conclude that buying local not only saves gas, but also helps the small business man. Hard to make many friends in a superstore like Wal-Mart, where often the "greeters" aren't all that friendly. But the "little guy" surely appreciates you and more often than not has a smile waiting for you, and what you were looking for.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the bargains at Wal-Mart, but I'm trying to do better when supporting the locals, and cutting back on fuel consumption..

In cased you missed it...

Several interesting occurrences during your Memorial Day Holiday:

Iran and US see 'positive' steps in first formal talks since hostage crisis of 1980.

Eagles, doves clash at Academy protest.

Memorial Weekend Film Festival Aims To Counter 'Hollywood Stereotypes' of GIs.

Mexicans Mock Miss USA. As they do us all.

Leopard attacks Israeli Man in bed.

Rolling Thunder Cyclists Rev Up the Nation's Veterans Awareness.

Cindy Sheehan says "So Long"

The first and only post you'll find here from Daily Kos:

Camp Casey has served its purpose. It’s for sale. Anyone want to
buy five beautiful acres in Crawford , Texas ? I will consider any reasonable
offer. I hear George Bush will be moving out soon, too...which makes the
property even more valuable.
This is my resignation letter as the "face" of
the American anti-war movement. This is not my "Checkers" moment, because I will
never give up trying to help people in the world who are harmed by the empire of
the good old US of A, but I am finished working in, or outside of this system.
This system forcefully resists being helped and eats up the people who try to
help it. I am getting out before it totally consumes me or anymore people that I
love and the rest of my resources.
Good-bye America ...you are not the
country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I
can’t make you be that country unless you want it.

Where will she go, with most of the world returning to reason? Canada is now conservative and so is France. I hear Chavez is in a little trouble too...

America is so Beautiful

Memorial Day Thanks

The War is Won

Last week, the “war is lost” crowd in Congress suffered a major setback. According to the Washington Times, the Senate “overwhelmingly rejected a bid to pull out troops from Iraq and cut off funds for combat,” in a 67-29 vote with 19 Democrats rejecting the Party Line. “We don’t want to send the message to the troops that they lost the backing of Congress," declared Democrat Senator Carl Levin, long a vociferous opponent of President Bush’s Iraq policy.

The Left reluctantly praised Bush’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East as well. Senator James Webb of Virginia, one of the Blue Dog Democrats elected in 2006 stated "Recent initiatives from Secretary of State Rice, Ambassador Crocker and Admiral Fallon, the new commander of the Central Command, hold out the hope, if not the promise, that we might actually start toturn this thing around." Such an optimistic testament is all the more surprising considering it was Webb who publicly rebuffed the President soon after the elections, when Bush inquired of the Senator’s son who was serving in Iraq.

After months of pandering to their nut-roots, the “lose at any cost” movement in the Left-wing blogosphere, reasonable heads are prevailing among the Democrats. Following the debacle of the Vietnam War, an embarrassing and shameful retreat which looms over the Left to this day, none wants to be labeled the Party of Defeat. Like Bush, they are ignoring polls and pundits to do the right thing for the troops and the nation.

Another recent success for the Bush Administration is the appointment of Lt. General Douglas Lute to manage the war effort. Lampooned as a “War Czar” by the MSM, and given little chance for success by media pundits on the Right, Lute seems the perfect choice for the job. In a 2006 interview on PBS’ Charlie Rose Show, when he was director of operations for Central Command, the general was eerily prescient over what his new mission would entail:

“The other thing I would point to, Charlie, is the importance of taking this on, not simply as a military fight, but as a multi-agency fight where different arms of the government, the intelligence arm, the military arm for sure, the State Department, diplomatic arm, economic arm, those who bring law and order systems into a post-conflict scenario, that all these arms cometogether in an integrated networked way.”

Lute will now get the opportunity to put action to his theories. One of the prewar complaints was the inability for the FBI, CIA, and local law enforcement to work together, as well as a failure to communicate, faults which did little to prevent 9/11 from occurring. Thanks to the Patriot Act, many of these impediments have been dissolved, hence the lack of successful attacks on our country since that initial disaster. Hopefully, the general will do the same for the rest of the Washington bureaucracy, for the sake of our continued peace and freedom.

As for Democrats, by refusing to vote for a pullout they are showing their true colors, that they lack the “courage” to admit defeat in Iraq, or become its harbinger. Perhaps they are finally recalling they were for the War in Iraq before they were against it, and can in no way distant themselves from the outcome there.

NY Times Recycled News

Apparently the Grey Lady is trying to save the Democrat Party's reputation after last weeks cave-in on troop funding. Via Don Surber, we get this Times headline from 2005:

“U.S. Commanders See Possible Cut in Troops in Iraq”

And in 2006 we get:

“Democrats Cite Report On Troop Cuts in Iraq”

And now we have:

“White House Is Said to Debate ’08 Cut in Iraq Troops by 50%“

Of course, if they keep this up, eventually they will get it right, and say "you heard it in the NY Times first!" Lets just hope its not a real Long War!

Honest News

U.S. Forces Free 42 Iraqi Prisoners at Al Qaeda Camp

U.S. troops raid al-Sadr’s stronghold

Search for troops brings giant weapons' find

RAF jets save top Iraqi Police commander

Sears, Kmart to Help Military Families at Home

COALITION FORCES NAB 20 TERRORISTS

MARINES VOLUNTEER TO RETURN TO IRAQ:

Troops to Dems: Let Us Fight

Troops kill 18 terrorists in Afghanistan

Why Many Lebanese Are Shunning Aljazeera

The Decline of America?

Marine's Last Request Inspires Charity

The Left's Iraq Muddle

15 AL-QAEDA SUSPECTS DETAINED

12 IRAQI HOSTAGES FREED

The War is Won

Lebanon Vs. Al Qaeda

Update on the new front in the War on Terror from the Tank:

...what we see right now, is a Lebanese Army engaging the
northern front with al Qaeda. The Lebanese soldiers have very little equipment,
and the may possibly have to engage the Bin Laden elements in the south,
soon.

In our estimation, the international community
(including the U.S.) must have an emergency plan for strategic assistance of the
Lebanese government against Group A now. And it must expect attacks from Group B in the very near future..Yes, the Lebanese troops, with their M16 rifles, M113
troop transports, and outdated M48 tanks, are showing courage against the most
lethal terrorists on the face of the earth. But courage alone is not
enough.

A new ally against the modern day barbarism. Help them all we can.

Venezuelans march against closure of TV station

This must be very disappointing to Danny Glover. From Reuters:

Tens of thousands of Venezuelan protesters marched on Saturday to
the Caracas headquarters of an anti-government television station, which is
being forced off the air after President Hugo Chavez's administration refused to
renew its broadcasting license.
Waving flags with the logo of RCTV,
demonstrators packed the streets of the capital where news anchors and soap
opera stars slammed the imminent closure of the opposition channel.
"What is
happening here is simply the silencing of a television station," shouted soap
opera actress Gledys Ibarra.
The government is not renewing RCTV's license
after 53 years on the air because of accusations that the broadcaster
participated in a bungled 2002 coup against Chavez, incited violent
demonstrations and aired immoral programming.

Hugo Chavez version of the Fairness Doctrine.

Update: Lots of photos from Publius Pundit.

America/Russia's Cold Peace

The President of the American University in Moscow, Dr. Edward Lozansky argues that Russia is a still a democracy:

Consider:
• Foreign investment in Russia, including $11 billion by
American companies, nearly doubled in 2006 to $28.4 billion.

• U.S. exports to Russia climbed by 20 percent last year to
$4.7 billion. Russian exports to the United States totaled $19 billion in 2006,
a 30 percent increase from the year before.

• American business of every sort -- from candy to cars -- now
operate in Russia. Among the pioneering companies: Coca-Cola, Alcoa, Boeing,
Proctor & Gamble, Ford, and General Motors. Some business alliances even
extend to outer space.
• American businesses in Russia are making money at an
astonishing pace. Two-thirds of U.S. companies in Russia are meeting current
sales targets and 97 percent expect continued sales growth during the next three
years.

And:

...as someone who lived and suffered under a communist dictatorship
and who spends these days a good portion of the year in Russia, I assure you
that this country is far freer than at any time in its history. I see freedoms
today that were unthinkable in Soviet times: freedom to travel, start a
business, join a political party of your choice and practice one's faith.

This is somewhat encouraging considering all the recent doom and gloom stories about a new Cold War. May be hope for Russia yet!

House Approves Troop-Funding Bill

Update II-President signs War Supplemental.

Update:Yahoo/AP via Michelle Malkin: Senate approves the bill..."The Senate vote to send the legislation to the president was 80-14."

John McCain says:

"Senator Obama and Senator Clinton embrace the policy of surrender
by voting against funds to support our brave men and women fighting in Iraq and
Afghanistan." The vote, he said, "may win favor with MoveOn and liberal primary
voters, but it's the equivalent of waving a white flag to al Qaeda."

Another nail in Al Qaeda's Coffin. From My Way News:

Bowing to President Bush, the Democratic-controlled House
reluctantly approved fresh billions for the Iraq war on Thursday, minus the
troop withdrawal timeline that drew his earlier veto.
The 280-142 vote sent
the bill to the Senate for final passage, expected later in the evening.
"The Iraqi government needs to show real progress in return for America's
continued support and sacrifice," said Bush, and he warned that August could
prove to be a bloody month for U.S. troops in Baghdad's murderous
neighborhoods.

Our brave and brilliant troops, led by the wizened General Petraeus, now get another reprieve to tear down the terrorist element which has laid siege to the new Iraq Democracy, and held hostage the entire Middle East. On to Victory!

Environmental Genocide

Here's something you may have missed on the front page of the NY Times, because it will never be there, but from the Patriot Post newsletter:

The Washington Post published a puff piece celebrating Rachel
Carson’s 100th birthday (she died in 1964). Why is that important, you ask? In
1962, Carson wrote the best-selling book Silent Spring, which “led to the
banning of the pesticide DDT, the launch of modern environmentalism and her
enshrinement as a kind of patron saint of nature,” wrote reporter David
Fahrenthold.

To the average reader, that may sound laudable, but
consider this: The American Council on Science and Health says, “The results [of
the DDT ban] were disastrous: at least 1-2 million people continue to die from
malaria each year, 30-60 million or more lives needlessly lost since the ban
took effect,” mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. The Post addressed this by saying
Carson’s actions “have remained controversial.” You don’t say! Even the World
Health Organization has endorsed the use of DDT to combat malaria in poor
countries. The Post, of course, forgot to mention this inconvenient truth. Or
perhaps it’s just that modern environmentalism is often far more interested in a
political agenda than human life.

I've heard this, but never knew the extent of this modern day Holocaust until now. Too shocking to comprehend!

Also read this eyewitness report: Activist DDT Opposition Prolongs African Malaria, Misery, Death.

US Sends Aid to Lebanon

President Bush continues to support freedom fighters, and foil terrorist expectations around the world. From Yahoo/AP:

TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Military aid from the United States and
Arab allies began arriving Friday after Washington said it was rushing supplies
to the Lebanese army battling al-Qaida-inspired militants barricaded inside a
Palestinian refugee camp in the country's north...

Although U.S. officials said the military aid to Lebanon had
been agreed to before the fighting broke out this week, the speedy shipment
Friday marked the first tangible U.S. backing of the Lebanese authorities' fight
with the militants.
By early afternoon Friday, a total of five military
transport planes landed at the Beirut airport, including one from the U.S. Air
Force, two from the Emirates' air force and two Royal Jordanian Air Force
planes. Both Jordan and Emirates are close U.S. allies.

This is certainly a good thing, of which I wondered when would happen. Here's hoping after the terrorists are driven out from these countries and peace is restored, the Arabs will remember who stood by them, instead a return to the "America as the Great Satan" mindset so common in the region.

Also, David Axe has further good news on the Lebanese Army.

John Boehner Breaks Down

Vote No Amnesty!

The Aliens are Coming!

John Burtis for Canada Free Press uses his rapier wit and pen to tear apart the Senate Amnesty Immigration Bill:

There is a movie, Aliens, directed by Ridley Scott, which is a tour
de force about the unchecked onslaught of an alien organism which is allowed
aboard the space vehicle despite warnings to the contrary by other members of
the crew, and which proceeds to have the run of the place as it grows unchecked.
Only one crew member escapes. She then discovers that the alien has even boarded
this final safety apparatus. She finally jettisons the beast into outer space
and survives. But this is only a fictional movie.

In a few years, in America, there will be no escape and nowhere to hide.

This rings true. What part of "authored by John McCain and Ted Kennedy" don't we understand?

Bush Doctrine Is 'Only Option,'

So says Robert Kaufman. It's not preemption he declares, but prevention:

A departure from previous foreign policy strategies, the Bush
Doctrine is the name given to national security guidelines first outlined by
Bush in a June 2002 speech. They placed greater emphasis on military preemption,
increased military strength, unilateral action, and a commitment to "extending
democracy, liberty, and security to all regions."The doctrine was formalized in a document entitled the National Security
Strategy of the United States of America."What is novel about the Bush Doctrine
to me, is the need sometimes to employ force preemptively, [which] is necessary
because of the dangerous convergence between weapons of mass destruction there
[and the] spread of radicalism," Kaufman said at the Heritage Foundation in
Washington, D.C., on Thursday...

"I remain convinced that for all our problems there, the
battle in Iraq is a vital phase of the war we are fighting ... the war against
radical regimes, radical Islamists, and terrorists who seek to destroy us not
for what we've done, but for who we are," Kaufman said."This is a war we cannot
afford to lose," Kaufman added.

I couldn't agree more. Without Bush, at best we would be trying to contain radical Islam, as we did with communism in the last century. In our multi-polar, porous border, globalized world, such a strategy would have been useless, the only other alternative being race quotas. Remember all the talk of a "Fortress America" back in the 1990's? The President has done away with this defensive mentality and taken the war to the enemy in Iraq. Its a stroke of genius, as I've always maintained.

Army Buffalo Survives IED Blast

Constructed with pride here in Charleston, SC by Force Protection Inc.

It's the Plan, Stupid

Here's more on the idea I mentioned yesterday that the number of troops is less important than what you do with them. From Austin Bay:

...a "sudden" increase in troop strength alone is of minimal value.
Reinforcements and withdrawals have always been an option.
What Petraeus has
changed is the "level of presence" in violent areas. The relentless targeting of
Shia and Sunni extremist organizations is a far more important feature of what
Iraqis are calling "the new security plan" than simply sending more U.S. troops
into the streets.

As I referred to in the previous post, this was Westmoreland's big mistake in fighting the war in Vietnam. By constantly asking for an increase in troop strength, he gave the impression that this alone would defeat the insurgents. In contrast, President Bush, likely the best general we have, is constantly pointing out the need to "stay the course" and not give up on the Iraqi's. His principle strategy is "as the Iraqi's stand up, we will stand down". By teaching the populace to fend for themselves, he gives them a stake in their own salvation. It is their war, not Bush's. This is totally against the nanny state mentality of the Left, who thinks Big Brother America must shoulder the entire burden, then when they fail, just declare victory and pullout.

So, is the surge of any value? Of course, for the increasingly impatient US public it is a quick salve for our worn nerves. But the Plan is the thing.

Keeping the Peace in Iraq

Edwin Feulner reveals how former Reagan ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick defended the War:

"The 2003 act of force on Iraq was not going to war," she told
delegates in Geneva. "It was, rather, the continuation of the 1991 Gulf War, and
thus wholly permissible under the rule of law.''
She carried the day with
that argument, because it's correct. Iraq had spent some 12 years ignoring or
violating U.N. Security Council resolutions. Meanwhile, the United States and
our allies were fighting to enforce those resolutions. Our intervention in 2003
wasn't an invasion as much as it was a change of tactics. Instead of "keeping
Saddam Hussein in his box," we finally decided to remove him.
And direct
intervention was the only way to get rid of him. Kirkpatrick also writes that
Saddam "was a ruthless ruler with a boundless appetite for power and an
unlimited capacity for violence, a man who needed war like fire needs
oxygen."

This is true. Saddam was a one-man terrorist organization, and hence, after 9/11 a justifiable target. Some, I fear, use Iraq as an excuse for doing nothing to prevent another 9/11. I call it the "Iraq Excuse".

Congress to sue OPEC

Yeah, make them mad, that'll bring gas prices down. From Yahoo/AP:

Decrying near-record high gasoline prices, the House voted Tuesday to allow the
government to sue OPEC over oil production quotas.
"We don't have to stand
by and watch OPEC dictate the price of gas," Judiciary Committee Chairman John
Conyers, D-Mich., the bill's chief sponsor, declared, reflecting the frustration
lawmakers have felt over their inability to address people's worries about high
summer fuel costs.

Actually, its their gas. They can charge whatever they want. But we don't have to buy their gas.

Time: Al Qaeda losing in Anbar

Just read the first paragraph, as they immediately try to debunk their own scenario, buts its a start for the MSM.

Also, a more balanced article from Multi-National Force Iraq.

Sen. Jim Demint on Immigration

I was a little surprised he responed so quick, as I just emailed him this morning. Here is a portion of his reply:

We must stem the flood of illegal aliens into our country and take
control of our borders. You will be pleased to know that I voted for, and
Congress passed, the Secure Fence Act and its funding last fall. This bill
authorizes 850 miles of physical fencing along the border with Mexico and $1.2
billion for its construction. The bill also strengthens operational control of
all borders and ports through additional physical barriers, fencing, and greater
use of state-of-the-art technology and surveillance. Only when we have
true border control will comprehensive reform be realistic.

As
for people who are already in the United States illegally, I do not support any
form of amnesty and will continue to vote against it. We cannot reward
illegal behavior with a path to citizenship, voting rights, or Social Security
benefits. Rest assured that I will continue to be a vocal supporter of
reserving Social Security only for American citizens who have legally paid into
the system.

This is great and I hope the emphasis will continue to be on border security as opposed to appeasing the Hispanic community with amnesty. We can't let Mexico control our borders.

MiLinks

McCain unveils defense acquisition reform bill.

Russia Preps S-400 Missile System.

Building South Africa's Next IFV.

Army Defends Body Armor Quality.

Navy Got Growlers.

Syria To Send Iran Air Defence Systems From Russia.

Hog Heaven.

'Flying saucer' police spy camera takes to the skies.

JDAM: A GPS-INS Add-on Adds Accuracy to Airstrikes.

World's smallest precision guided missile.

An All Special Forces Army.

AMRAAM versus Ballistic Missiles.

Britain orders 4th Astute Submarine.

"Ike", Anzio Aid Stranded Vessel.

Defense bill authorizes new sub and carrier.

Indian navy plans three aircraft carriers by 2017.

Latest Chinese Missile Targets US Carriers.

Lebanon's Brave Little Army

The Tank at National Review asks terrorism expert Dr Walid Phares his opinion of Lebanon's 15,000 man Army:

...this little Army — barely equipped with M113 armored personnel
carriers, Humvees, and few old M48 tanks — has been able to roll back an al
Qaeda-type militia into its compounds inside the camp, where the Lebanese troops
cannot go, so far.This alone demonstrates that a well-trained and determined
local force can take on the terrorists, including al Qaeda. The Jihadists have a
weak spot when confronted by indigenous but "determined" forces. It is a lesson
for the whole strategy in the War on Terror, and also for the conflict in
Iraq.

There's a forgotten lesson from Vietnam which Westmoreland didn't get, and many are repeating that same mistake. Determination, So, even without the Surge, our military could still be kicking butt! If only they had more support at home, but its enough.

Military Recruiting Exceedingly Strong

More good news from the War on Terror, from the Say Anything Blog:

You know all those media reports about military recruiting we’ve
been reading about in recent years? The ones about how our military is
struggling to meet it’s recruiting goals? That often have journalists
pushing the idea that our desperate military is resorting to filling its ranks
with criminals in order to make its goals? Wondering why you haven’t heard
too much about that particular left-wing anti-war talking point for a while?
It could be because all branches of the military met its active duty
recruiting goals for fiscal year 2006…

Go to the link and view the charts. Lots of 100+ in there!

So what does this mean? It means that recruiting is strong
for the branches of our military that see the most action in Iraq (Army and
Marine active duty), and gets only slightly weaker for those branches where a
troop is less likely to see action (Army NG and then on down through the
Navy/Air Force reserves). Which means that of the people choosing to sign
up for the military, most of them are signing up with an inclination toward
going to Iraq.

Defying the pundits in the MSM. Aren't they tired of being wrong? More reason to say God Bless our Troops!

Dems set war bill without Iraq timeline

I told you so, and thank God. From Yahoo/AP:

In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to
draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S.
troops and shorn of billions of dollars in spending on domestic programs,
officials said Monday...While details remain subject to change, the measure is
designed to close the books by Friday on a bruising veto fight between Bush and
the Democratic-controlled Congress over the war. It would provide funds for
military operations in Iraq through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

September is the date general Petraeus believes the Surge will start to show results (though some say it already has). This is why I declare the War is Won. The article goes on to try to convince the Liberal base that this isn't giving in to President Bush. Whatever you want to call it is fine, just get the job done and bring our troops home victorious!

Also, Instapundit declares "Sounds like Bush won."

Plus, Captain's Quarters reveals:

"They have been outmaneuvered for the moment by George Bush,
who has hung on them their inability to fund the troops more than a hundred days
after the request. The supposedly irrelevant lame duck has outlasted his
opponents, who now nervously realize that they have to do something to fund the
troops that Bush will actually sign."

The Right should be dancing in the streets over this, or are we too busy fuming over immigration?

The civil war in four minutes

This is really good.

Saving the "Decent People"

Frederick W. Kagan in the Weekly Standard has another good reason to stay the course in Iraq:

On a recent trip to Iraq, I saw the human stakes in this
struggle. I spoke with the commander of the 8th Iraqi Army Division in
Diwaniyah, Major General Othman. He is a Shia, commanding a heavily Shia unit in
an entirely Shia area. I asked him what was the most serious challenge he faced.
He answered at once: Shia militias. General Othman stands strongly for an Iraq
ruled by law, in which the government holds a monopoly on the use of force, and
in which Sunni and Shia are treated equally. He has put his beliefs to the test
of battle. When he saw that members of Moktada al-Sadr's Shia militia, the Mahdi
Army, had taken control of the city of Diwaniyah, he conducted a large-scale
clearing operation with the help of American forces and drove them out. General
Othman now holds Diwaniyah, where the people can breathe free again, subject
neither to that militia nor to any other. There is no turning back for General
Othman. The Mahdi Army is determined to kill him and his family, and they will
do so if we do not continue to support him. The life of this decent man is in
our hands.

In Iskandariyah, I met Major General Qais, the commander of
the Babil Province police forces. I asked him the same question, What is your
greatest challenge. Without hesitation, he, too, said: Shia militias. The Iraqi
police are known to be infiltrated by Shia militia fighters, but General Qais
has molded a force that he uses against those very militias on a daily basis. He
has survived attempts on his life, and he and his family are under constant
threat. They, too, rely on America to help them fight the agents of Iran who
seek to defeat us. Across Iraq today, decent people are standing up and
identifying themselves. They are reaching out to us, working with us, and
fighting alongside us against our enemies, even against the powerful Shia
militias. If we abandon them now, they will be tortured and killed, along with
their families, by the militias. We will have exposed every decent person in the
country to destruction.

At a downtown Charleston laundromat, I met a Vietnamese gentleman, whose daughter was the owner, that spent years in a communist prison before coming to America to be with his family. I was really sorry he had to endure this, as well as the thousands like him who fought for freedom, but then was carelessly shoved aside by an indifferent US government. Lose in Iraq and we all suffer, the Iraqis, our troops, all of us.

More Iran Demonstrations

Via Pajamas Media-Iran in Focus has photo coverage of demonstrations in Iran here, here, here and here.

Also, Iranian brutality against Iranian women.

Smoke

The smoke cloud from the fires in Georgia, which blanketed Charleston last week has apparently arrived in my parents hometown of Branchville. There's currently a thin fog of smoke covering the entire town, which smells like burnt leaves.

In Case you missed it...

My photos from the Charleston Maritime Festival are here, and here, and here, or just scroll down!

Also, Charleston.net has videos of the festival, which sadly, I'm not in!

Academia finally noticing Terror War?

Well, when one of their own is suffering under the persecution of Islamic Fascism, as reported by the Washington Post:

The Middle East Studies Association of North America, which
has 2,700 members worldwide, has written to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warning that
the detention of scholars has triggered "grave concern" and that Esfandiari's
imprisonment has sent a "chilling message to scholars throughout the world."
Esfandiari is director of Middle East programs at the Smithsonian's Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars.

"Harassment and detention of scholars is always cause for
grave concern, but in this case it should be noted that the scholar in question
is widely respected both for her knowledge and ability to provide clear and
dispassionate analysis," the letter added. It also charged that Iran's action
against the 67-year-old grandmother, who was visiting Iran to help her ailing
mother, 93, violates the republic's constitution because she has been denied
legal counsel.

MIT professor Noam Chomsky also
issued a statement yesterday calling Esfandiari's detention "deplorable" and
warned that the action by Iran's intelligence ministry was "a gift" to American
policymakers trying to organize support for military action against
Iran.

The heck with the hundreds of millions of poor suffering from intimidation by terrorists, from Palestine to Pakistan, and around the world. This scholar is actually a "respected" person, and needs special treatment.

Morning in France

The Paris Blues column at pajamas Media is now Paris Lights:

This time it was hard to tear myself away from la France
nouvelle, la France sous Sarkozy. Like going on a trip when you’d just redone
the kitchen…or the bougainvillea is blooming in the window boxes. Paris was
alive with such long-delayed hope. Even if disappointment is just around the
corner the experience was edifying. The meaning of leadership sings out from
every inch of the land. This is the secret of community; individuals are supple
and distinct, they can rise and fall to great heights and depths, change in an
instant, fly off to incredible adventures or walk around the same block for a
lifetime, but collectivities can’t be dynamic without leadership. They aren’t
self-propelled.

France has been going downhill slowly for decades; the
last seven years were the worst. The society was in a freeze frame for all that
is positive, on fast forward for the negative, and boiling with obsessive hatred
of Israel, Jews, and America. An entrenched president and successive PMs
aggravated the domestic situation with a counterproductive foreign policy.
France crowed about peace on the international stage while people became more
and more aggressive in day to day reality.

France needed a leader like Sarkozy since the days of Louis XVI! (Thats before the French Revolution for you public schoolers!)

Al Qaeda Readies for Iran Retreat

According to Bill Roggio, the Battle of Diyala, on the Iraq/Iran border is coming to a head:

The province of Diyala, where al Qaeda has established its
command headquarters over the past year, has been the scene of increased
activity of the past several days. Al Qaeda conducted a sophisticated attack in
a Kurdish village in the north, and a coordinated attack on a military outpost
and a bank in Baqubah. The U.S. detained two al Qaeda leaders in a raid in the
city, while the general commanding the 5th Iraqi Army Division was relieved of
his command. The recent events signal the Diyala Campaign is on the horizon as both sides
seek to consolidate their positions in the province...

The U.S. and Iraq military wants to cordon the province to
prevent al Qaeda from escaping, and create a kill box to eliminate al Qaeda's
forces. Al Qaeda may be attempting to secure their exit into Iran.

Is this Al Qaeda's last stand? Stay tuned...

Another Air Show Catastrophe

Remember the F/A-18 crash which made all the headlines recently? Here's another crash story, this from Canada, concerning the Snowbirds Demonstration Team. Sad, but as I stated, this happens a lot with these modern-day barnstormers.

Honest News

Iraqi leaders unite for peace

U.S. repulses insurgents

C-17 crew tackles tough training

U.S., Iraqi Units Continue Search for Missing Soldiers

Dispatch from Baghdad

The Awakening in Anbar

Marines Perfect "Wave" Tactics

American troops making some unlikely friends

Band of Sisters Plays Key Role In Iraq Security

Romanian, American Soldiers stand united

Tennessee Guard increased 57 percent

Marines Take Lower Profile in Fallujah

Israel Didn't Lose in Lebanon; America Hasn't Lost in Iraq

Charleston Maritime Festival-The Ships

Charleston Maritime Festival-The Pirates

It was awesome!

Charleston Maritime Festival-The Fun!

Yours Truly and Sister Carolyn (Happy Birthday sis!)

On my Way

To the Charlestom Maritime Festival! Back later hopefully with lots of pics!

Huge Explosion Rocks Branchville

It occurred earlier this morning at Branchville Wood Products, a subsidiary of Cox Inc. of Orangeburg. My dad, Bobby Burleson, employed there as a custodian, said soon after he came to work, about 8:30 AM, an electrical fire broke out in an outside shed which collected wood shavings from the plant. The fire was soon contained but about a hour later, at 9:45, the explosion occurred.

My dad was cleaning next to a room filled with vacuum pipes leading from the previously mentioned shed, it was here that the explosion occurred. Raymond Martin, who works at Ott's Country Store about a mile distant said he heard a huge blast coming from that part of town. Local firefighters and police immediately reached the scene, and HWY 78 in town was briefly blocked.

No one was harmed, including Burleson, who was sent to Orangeburg Regional Hospital for care, and soon released. Billy Valentine, a fellow employee at Branchville Wood Products who witnessed the accident, admitted it was a "miracle" my dad escaped harm.

Update from the local paper. Note the "maintenance employee":

A spark in the Branchville Wood Products' system that collects
dust from the wood-shaving process caused a fire Friday morning.The blaze
destroyed a portion of the shaving-collection shed.One maintenance employee, who
was in the vicinity of the fire, was taken to the Regional Medical Center as a
precautionary measure, said Cox Industries President Mike Johnson, parent
company of BWP.

The intense heat of the fire caused the tires on two 18-wheel
shaving-shed vans to explode.Preliminary estimates put the damage to the shed
and trailers at about $25,000 to $30,000.The cause of the fire was still under
investigation Friday afternoon, but preliminary investigation points to a
possible small engine malfunction in the shaving blower, Johnson
said.Branchville Wood Products Administrative Assistant Amy Easterling, who was
at work at the time, said the fire began about 8:20 a.m. in the shaving
shed.

Read the rest. Apparently this was really a close call as my dad's co-workers and supervisors have been visiting all day. Never know who you friends are until...

Another Reason for Less Government

Yesterday, concerning the compromise bill on immigration, the US government did what it does best-It failed us all, illegals and legal alike. We wanted border security and all we got was a passing of the buck to another generation, much like the 1980's amnesty bill. Apparently, the thinking was a weak and flawed bill was better than nothing. What we got was more of the same and lingering difficulties for business, for Americans who's jobs are being taken away, and the illegals who just want a better life and need some direction, but instead are pandered to and allowed to fend for themselves. Who can blame them for not assimilating in a country with so little leadership, where no one will take a stand for our culture.

Where's the Outrage?

Al Qaeda uses gas against civilians, and the world is silent. From Bill Roggio:

The casualty toll in yesterday's suicide bombing in Abu Sayada in
Diyala has increased, and it was confirmed that chlorine gas was used.
Forty-five were killed and 60 wounded in the chlorine suicide attack, al Qaeda's
tenth successful employment of the poisonous gas in Iraq.
Elsewhere in Diyala, al Qaeda "abducted 21 civilian passengers at a fake
checkpoint near Al-Ghalibiya" and brought them to Al-Hashemeyat, which is a known al Qaeda stronghold.

But let one of our brave troops shoot one of these suckers, and he's hauled before an international tribunal. Disgusting!

Against the European Missile Shield

Michael O'Hanlon is, and yours truly as well. From the NY Times:

The system — which would complement the one established in recent
years in California and Alaska — is intended primarily to protect Europe and
America from a missile launched from the Middle East. It is in principle a
worthy idea, but the military benefits in the short term are not worth the
worsening of relations with Russia that it has already engendered.
Rather
than push the idea now, when the threat of long-range missiles from the Middle
East is hardly acute, it would be better to allow a new American president and a
new Russian president — Vladimir Putin is barred by his country’s Constitution
from running again next year — to reconsider the subject in 2009 or 2010...Most
important, we must bear in mind that, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
reminded Mr. Putin this winter, “One cold war was quite enough.”

I support this view whole-heartedly. At best, the ABM System may not work 100%. The worse is, placing the weapons up against the Russian border is giving Putin an enemy, whether real or imaginary, and allowing his iron fist to clamp down harder on his long-suffering citizens. This is no way to promote democracy in the former Soviet Union.

Aircraft Carrier Vs. Cruise Missile 16

From Spacewar:

China plans to equip its upcoming missiles with infrared technology
to give them the ability to hit US warships in Asia, a Japanese newspaper said
Wednesday. The upgrade is part of preparations for a potential conflict over
Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory and which has a security
pact with the United States, the Sankei Shimbun said.
Citing unnamed
military sources in Japan and Taiwan, the conservative newspaper said that China
was developing an infrared detection system for its medium-range Dongfeng-21
missiles so they can pinpoint warships.
The upgraded Dongfeng would
discourage the United States or Japan from sending in their warships equipped
with the Aegis technology designed to shoot down incoming missiles, the
newspaper said.
The Dongfeng-21 has a range of some 2,150 kilometers (1,350
miles). The Sankei estimated that around 100 are deployed.
Western analysts
have also speculated that China is also developing a next-generation long-range
Dongfeng-41 capable of hitting the US mainland.

China is stinging after US carriers foiled their attempts to invade or intimidate Taiwan in the 1990's.

Democrats Reject Iraq pullout, cash cutoff

The Turn of the Tide as reported by the Washington Times:

The Senate yesterday overwhelmingly rejected a bid to pull out
troops from Iraq and cut off funds for combat, a bruising defeat for Majority
Leader Harry Reid that highlights the Democratic split over how far to go in
opposing the war. The amendment, which was co-sponsored
by Mr. Reid, Nevada Democrat, died in a 67-29 procedural vote, with 47
Republicans, 19 Democrats and one independent blocking the plan to start a troop
withdrawal in 120 days and cut off funds March 31 to most military operations in
Iraq. "We don't want to send the message to the troops"
that they lost the backing of Congress, said Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan,
chairman of the Armed Services Committee and one of several key Democrats to
defect. "We're going to support those troops."

The Dems are even praising Bush's diplomatic efforts:

Sen. James H. Webb Jr., a Virginia Democrat who voted against
the amendment, said a majority of lawmakers oppose the war, but cutting off
funds and pulling out troops undercuts the Bush administration's diplomatic
efforts.

"Recent initiatives from Secretary of State
Rice, Ambassador Crocker and Admiral Fallon, the new commander of the Central
Command, hold out the hope, if not the promise, that we might actually start to
turn this thing around," Mr. Webb said on the Senate floor.

I knew, knew, knew, knew, knew, knew, knew, knew, knew, knew they wouldn't cut funding!!!!! After the debacle of Vietnam, which is constantly blamed on the Democrats (though they had help from the Right) no one wants to be known as the Party of Defeat. Read this and this.

At the risk of offending Senator Harry Reid, let me say:

The War is Won.

Back to the Dark Ages

Victor Davis Hanson argues that penance doesn't excuse bad behavior:

Penance, ancient and modern, was thought corrupt because it was not
sincere apology nor genuine in its promise to stop the sin.
Thanks to carbon
offsets, Al Gore keeps his mansion — and still feels good while warning others
we all can’t live as he does.
John Edwards chooses to offset his own
privileges by sermonizing about unfairness in America.
And who can forget
George Soros? The billionaire can lavishly fund liberal causes such as left-wing
think tanks, Web sites, and ballot initiatives — and thereby offset his millions
made speculating on exchange rates and bankrupting small depositors. He’s become
a hero to those who ordinarily demonize such financial piracy.

And:

...by all means help save the planet, worry about the poor,
establish charities. Just spare us the medieval idea that such penance ever
excuses your own excess.

In a nut shell, spare us the hypocrisy. The rich want to add further burdens on the poor, like destroying jobs with their green legislation, while they won't sacrifice having the good life themselves.

Anti-RPG net

More from Ares.

The UN is Doomed

Once again the Useless Nations reject reform, with the rail-roading of Paul Wolfowitz. From Yahoo/AP:

Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz sought a
face-saving agreement Wednesday that would allow him to resign under his own
terms and escape some blame for the conflict of interest involving his
girlfriend's generous pay deal...

The flap, which has gripped the bank for a month, has
threatened to tarnish the institution's reputation and hobble its ability to
persuade countries to contribute billions of dollars to provide financial aid to
poor nations.
"This has certainly been a bruising episode for the bank, and
what you have to do is figure out a way forward to maintain the integrity of the
institution," White House press secretary Tony Snow said Wednesday.
Treasury
Secretary Henry Paulson and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have said the
conflict-of-interest charges against Wolfowitz were not grounds for him to be
fired.

And I suppose Kofi Annan's son raking in the money in the Iraq Oil for Food Program wasn't a "conflict of interest"? This is a witch-hunt which further damages what little credibility the UN has left, and defeats any chance the world body is relevant in the 21st Century. Good riddance!

Tall Ships Head to Charleston

I can't wait! Story and details from Charleston.net:

The Maritime Center Complex will be the center of the festival, and
the festivities will extend to Ansonborough Field and the Union Pier Passenger
Terminal. The Charleston to Bermuda racing fleet will be docked at Patriots
Point at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, and shuttle buses will run
between the Charleston Maritime Center and the Union Pier terminal.

Yours truly is planning to be there taking lots of photos which I plan to grace these pages with this weekend. Hope to see you there!

All Hail the Czar!

And good luck. General Douglas Lute is chosen by President Bush to coordinate the war effort for the White House. The Midtopia blog has an interesting quote from Lute from the Charlie Rose Show which is eerily prescient of his new job:

The other thing I would point to, Charlie, is the importance of
taking this on, not simply as a military fight, but as a multi-agency fight
where different arms of the government, the intelligence arm, the military arm
for sure, the State Department, diplomatic arm, economic arm, those who bring
law and order systems into a post-conflict scenario, that all these arms come
together in an integrated networked way.

There's also a link to video from the entire interview in 2006. Sounds like a good choice to me, and here's hoping the general has the tenacity to see his views through. You can find the general's military bio here.

MiLinks

New Generation UAVs Borrows Secrets From Bats.

Qualification firing of Exocet MM40 Block3.

Army's New Airborne Task Force.

NAVAIR Delivers Low Collateral Damage Bomb.

USAF May Work Lower Expectations Into Bomber Plan.

Brave New War.

Japan Develop Laser Weapons Amid North Korea Threat.

Internet Revolutionizes the Legion.

Giuliani: Today’s world requires a bigger Army.

C-130Js Good and Bad.

S. Korea to launch new submarine, destroyer.

Indian Destroyers Lack Sonar.

German Warship Fires on Itself.

Armada sinks Canadian warship.

Asia Set to pass US/Europe in Spending.

UCAV aircraft carriers.

Cold War Games Ongoing.

Singapore’s Navy Cruises Toward Blue-Water Force.

Congress Down, Bush Steady

Important news from the latest Gallup Poll:

A new Gallup Poll finds continued low levels of public support for
both Congress and President George W. Bush. Twenty-nine percent of Americans
approve of Congress, down slightly from last month's reading (33%) and this
year's high point of 37%, while Bush's approval rating is holding steady at 33%.
Both the ratings of Congress and the president are slightly lower than their
respective 2007 averages. Approval ratings of Congress are higher among
Democrats than Republicans, while Bush's ratings are much higher among
Republicans.

That last is no surprise.

"Everything should be on the table"

Interesting conversation between Barak Obama and George Stephanopoulos last Sunday:

Stephanopoulos: You've also said that with Social Security,
everything should be on the table.

Obama: Yes.

Stephanopoulos: Raising the retirement age?

Obama: Everything should be on the table.

Stephanopoulos: Raising payroll taxes?

Obama: Everything should be on the table. I think we
should approach it the same way Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan did back in 1983.
They came together. I don't want to lay out my preferences beforehand, but what
I know is that Social Security is solvable. It is not as difficult a problem as
we're going to have with Medicaid and Medicare.

Stephanopoulos: Partial privatization?

Obama: Privatization is not something that I would
consider . . .

Democrats: the gift that keeps on giving (for Republicans). Hat tip to James Taranto.

Iran Lawmakers Defy Radical Leader

They are reaching out on their own, according to Fox:

Iranian deputies were gathering signatures to try and form an
Iranian-U.S. friendship committee in parliament, one of the legislators involved
in the effort said Tuesday.
Darioush Ghanbari, one of at least 10 deputies
who has signed the document calling for the establishment of a Iran-U.S.
friendship committee, said Iranian parliamentarians were seeking to reduce
tensions with America and "explain Iran's realities to the U.S. Congress."

"In the absence of formal diplomatic relations, we seek to
establish a parliamentary relationship with the U.S. Congress and fill the
existing gap of contacts between the two nations," Ghanbari told The Associated
Press.
Ghanbari said the document was signed by both conservatives and
reformists and more signatures were expected by the end of the day.

Wonder why the Left fails to speak out against Iran's current government as being divisive and hurting Iran's image in the world? Rather than reaching out to dictators, let's support moderate movements within the country. It seems like Bush's plan is working!