Breaking: Car bomb smashes into Scottish airport.

Michelle Malkin, who has exhaustive coverage says "If this incident is a coincidence, it’s one hell of a coincidence".

How long are we going to keep having these debates on how to fight this war, or even should we fight this war? 9/11 should have settled it, as did Pearl Harbor in 1941. Some people just don't get it, there-for people are still dieing. And the Brits just booted their best weapon against Islamic Radicalism, Tony Blair, while in secret places others are conspiring to do the same to Bush and Cheney.

The heck with Spanish, we better learn to speak Arabic, or pray.

Debating the Good Fight

Philip Carter comments on an article in the WSJ which details divisions in the military over how we fight future and present wars:

Jaffe goes on to write about the specific encounters which have
taken place in the context of this larger battle over the Army's future. He
writes how Lt. Col. John Nagl, one of the Army's leading soldier-scholars, and
the commander of the battalion at Fort Riley charged with training tomorrow's
advisers, has proposed a new "adviser corps" for the U.S. military to work with
foreign militaries in the future. That proposal has been soundly rejected by the
powers that be, who have chosen instead to put their eggs in the conventional
warfare basket.

The senior leadership in the Pentagon fought a different type of war against the Soviets than our troops are fighting now. They should listen to the voices of experience: the Lts., Captains, and Sergeants who paid for their peculiar knowledge in blood in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Related:

Critiques of Iraq War Reveal Rifts Among Army Officers.

A failure in generalship.

Media are pawns of the extremists

Because they're so willing to report any rumor as fact. This time they blew it, as detailed by Multi-National Force Iraq:

Extremists using false media reporting to incite sectarian
violence

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Friday, news media reported a mass killing
in a village near Salman Pak where 20 men were allegedly found beheaded.
It now appears that the story was completely false and fabricated by unknown
sources. Upon learning of the press reports, coalition and Iraqi
officials began investigating to determine if the reports were true.
Ultimately it was concluded the reports were false. Anti-Iraqi
Forces are known for purposely providing false information to the media to
incite violence and revenge killings, and they may well have been the source of
this misinformation.

This is why you can't trust all you hear on the news reports, and why many in Washington are being intimidated toward an early pullout.

What's the difference in a battleship and a sub?

Can you tell the difference, boys & girls? Apparently the AP doesn't know. Funny story from Murdoc:

The U.S. Navy on Wednesday awarded a $29.8 million contract boost
to a unit of General Dynamics Corp. for maintenance and repair on the USS Texas
battleship.
General Dynamics' subsidiary Electric Boat Corp. will provide
alterations and testing on the ship as part of an effort to correct deficiencies
on one of the oldest battleships left since World War I.

And then, a correction:

In a June 27 story about a $29.8 million contract awarded to a unit
of General Dynamics Corp., The Associated Press erroneously reported how the
money would be spent. It is for repairs on the active USS Texas submarine, not
the decommissioned USS Texas battleship.

This is as funny as mistaking Canadian troops for GI's!

Micro Air Vehicles Vs. the Bombers

Thanks to Noah Shachtman at the Danger Room.

Toward a 3rd Party in 2008

Apparently taking my advice, though this poll is from FoxNews:

Nearly half of Americans think it would be good for the country if
an independent candidate won
the 2008 presidential election, according to the latest FOX News Poll. And
despite acknowledging the improbability of the candidate winning, a majority
says they would consider voting for an independent for president...More than
twice as many voters think it would be good for the country if an independent
candidate were to win the White House in 2008 than think it would be bad (45
percent good, 19 percent bad). In addition, there is rare partisan agreement on
the issue as 42 percent of Democrats and 44 percent of Republicans think
electing an independent candidate would be good for the country, as do 56
percent of self-described independents.

My point is, considering the power of the New Media, including bloggers, talk radio, and satellite news, now is the time to organize. Rather this than casually waiting for the next round of censorship legislation from the declining elites in Washington, who feel threatened by the change.

Update:Is Fred Thompson thinking what I'm thinking?

Sea Links

Navy downplays chance of LCS cancellation.

America's Boomer Fleet.

Our Attack sub fleet.

Navy JSF Takes a Step Forward.

MASS decoy system for German Frigates.

The Three Amphibs.

Sea Fighter Seeks a Back Door.

The "1000 ship navy" in action.

Sharks "sniff out" submarines.

The power of the Navy.

Navy Ships Key to Missile Test Success.

Dutch Warship Gets Ship-Shape In Cornwall.

US to build Egypt Fast Missile Craft.

Germany to get 4 new frigates.

USS Stennis: The Trap Kings.

Russia will build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

USS Destroyer Decatur is First to Shoot Down a Ballistic Missile.

Once the USS Trenton, ship flies a new flag - for India.

U.S. hosts 3 foreign navies in exercises off Atlantic coast.

Foreign Interest In New Littoral Combat Ships.

Iran's 1000 boat navy.

Landing Ships Outmaneuver Terrorists.

Glenn Reynold's on Immigration

Instapundit has some good advice to lawmakers for next time:

(1) Make the process open, transparent, and timely, with hearings,
drafts on the Internet, and no last-minute bills that no one has read;
(2)
Earn people's trust, don't demand it, and treat enforcement like it
matters;
(3) Respect people who follow the law, and make legal immigration
easier, cheaper, and simpler, rather than the Kafkaesque nightmare it is
now;
(4) Don't feel you have to be "comprehensive" -- address the problems
you can deal with first. The trust needed to deal with other problems will come
later, after you've shown some success and some good faith.

I think the first and second are key to why this Bill failed so disastrously. First, they tried to hurry it into law before anyone could read the thing. Second they lambasted and questioned the Patriotism of those who balked. But that's government for you, who think they know whats best for us, like the little naive children we are.

And Daily Pundit sees The World Turned Upside Down.

Did anybody besides me notice that all the critics of the Blowback has been attacking Talk Radio, with barely a mention about the bloggers' role in this? What are we invisible, or are they just blind?

Update: At least the WSJ cares! Interesting that the paper which is pro-business supported the Amnesty Bill, though not suprising.

Immigration Bill Dead

Breaking from FoxNews:

-- The Senate drove a stake Thursday through President Bush's plan
to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, likely postponing major action on
immigration until after the 2008 elections.
The bill's supporters fell 14
votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage
of the legislation, which critics assailed as offering amnesty to illegal
immigrants. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate.
Senators
in both parties said the issue is so volatile that Congress is highly unlikely
to revisit it this fall or next year, when the presidential election will
increasingly dominate American politics.

I pray the President will finally let this go, and lets get back to the war.

More: Jim Demint is my favorite Senator! Here's what he said, according to Michelle Malkin:

“When the U.S. Senate brought the Amnesty bill back up this week,
they declared war on the American people. This act created a crisis of
confidence in their government. Thankfully, the American people won today,” said
Senator DeMint. “This is remarkable because it shows that Americans are engaged
and they care deeply about their country. They care enough for their country to
get mad and to fight for it, and that’s the most important thing of all.
Americans made phone calls and sent letters, and convinced the Senate to stop
this bill.”

With politicians like this, there's hope for the GOP yet!

The Democrats make sense

I'm finding myself more in agreement with statements made by some on the Left concerning the Immigration Bill, than those on the Right I generally support:

"Until you have the border secure, you cannot deal with the 12
million here without encouraging others to come across," says Sen. Ben Nelson
(D) of Nebraska, who voted to proceed with the bill this week but warns that
could be his last vote for the bill.
Adds Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) of
Missouri: "Until our country gets serious about enforcement against employers,
all the laws we pass won't make a difference." She says she'll vote against the
bill for this reason.

Its sad, when you disagree with your own Party, who seem to be looking out for Big Business to the detriment of the Little Fellow. Doesn't mean I'm ready to vote Hillary, though!

Things I wish TV Execs would say

I just read an article on Reuters that reveals how Networks hit new lows in grim weekly ratings. No shocker considering the junk we have to watch, but I think I have a solution for the Networks, and for the cable/satellite programmers as well. If only the Execs would make the following statement:

"Considering all the hundred of thousands of movies produced by Hollywood since the last century, we are determined to show all we can, instead of the hundred or so constantly repeated on each network.

Next, when we rerun old TV shows, we will dig deep into network vaults and give you shows which were good, not just the ones that garnered the most ratings during their first run, and are reshown on almost every channel, day after day, night after night.

We also will, on occasion, show classic black and white movies from Hollywood's Golden Era, reintroducing America's youth to the great actors of yesteryear, including Bogie, Gable, Davis, Stanwyk, and Stewart, and not just relgate them to a few obscure channels. Like eating vegetables, kids should be forced to watch such programming because its good for them and they may actually learn to like it.

Finally, we the TV Networks, vow to return to saner programming and censor our more base urges by keeping rated R programming off the prime time, meaning constant references to sex and foul language in the Family Hour. Though some may howl against this affront to free speech, you may recall that the best films from the Golden Era were produced under the auspices of the Hayes Code, including classics such as Casablanca, the Wizard of Oz, and Gone With the Wind.

Sincerely and with apologies for making TV so rotten the past few decades.

The Network Execs"

I can dream, can't I?

Our Enemy’s Attrition

You constantly hear all the bad in the news: the bombings, the beheadings, high gas prices, Rosie headed back to TV. Ever hear how the other side is doing? Victor Davis Hanson explains:

...some Sunnis are helping us in Iraq, but that they are being
urged to for the first time by those in the Arab world, who would prefer to see
the Iraqi government, rather than the terrorists, succeed...

With oil prices at an all-time high, Iran can't provide
gasoline for its own people, who resent the billions spent instead on Arab
terrorists abroad. If oil were to dip from near $70 to $50-55 a barrel, the
regime would face abject bankruptcy...

Syria for all its terror still can't overthrow the government
in Lebanon, but has managed the impossible: Not only does the Arab world seek to
isolate it, but France and the United States are cooperating to thwart it in
Lebanon...

Hamas is high on victory in Gaza for now, but all it has
accomplished is to further concentrate its nexus of terror into one small
miserable — and quite vulnerable — locale in the midst of Jordan, Israel, and
Egypt, while sacrificing the Palestinians greatest advantage: deniability of
culpability...

Both the resources of the United States and its enemies are
becoming strained, but so far they are rioting in oil-exporting Iran over
gasoline, not we in the U.S. Europe has gravitated more in the last four years
to our views than we to theirs...

Much more in this article from one of my favorite authors. Just remember, next time you hear how bad the war is going for the US, there's always 2 sides to every story.

Also read Good Times, Bad Mood.

Lindsey Defends the Bill

Just got an exhaustive email full of immigration facts from Senator Lindsey Graham. Most of the information you can view on his website, but one paragraph stood out:

English is Declared the National Language of the United States
The legislation states that no person has a "right, entitlement or claim to
have the Government of the United States or any of its officials or
representatives act, communicate, perform or provide services, or provide
materials in any language other than English.." It also makes clear that the
U.S. government and federal agencies should "preserve and enhance the role of
English as the national language of the United States of America ." The
conservative Heritage Foundation has called the amendment "both sensible and
necessary."

I wonder if this means, when I dial a US Government office, I won't have to "push 1 for Spanish, 2 for English"? I rather doubt Washington will go this far in promoting the language of our forefathers.

“It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine”

That ominous quote is from Sen. Dick Durbin. He may get help from the Republicans in Congress angry over their (so far) failed Amnesty Bill. From the Hill:

“It’s time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine,” said Senate
Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “I have this old-fashioned attitude that
when Americans hear both sides of the story, they’re in a better position to
make a decision.”The Fairness Doctrine, which the FCC discarded in 1985,
required broadcasters to present opposing viewpoints on controversial political
issues. Prior to 1985, government regulations called for broadcasters to “make
reasonable judgments in good faith” on how to present multiple viewpoints on
controversial issues.

Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
said she planned to “look at the legal and constitutional aspects of” reviving
the Fairness Doctrine. “I believe very strongly that the airwaves are public and
people use these airwaves for profit,” she said. “But there is a responsibility
to see that both sides and not just one side of the big public questions of
debate of the day are aired and are aired with some modicum of fairness.”

The government loves to manage things, don't they? Doing a really good job protecting our borders, right? The bottom line is, after the powerof the Fairness Doctrine was eased in the 1980's, you had a resurge of conservatism in this country. Before, the average American had little outlet to express their views, because the top networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN controlled the message. And Talk Radio hosts don't just espouse their own views, but those of the majority. So, its in the Liberals' best interest to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, so once again they control the message. Many of our status quo Republicans will likely go along with this, because, as long as they get earmarks to their constituents, and stay in office for a lifetime, who cares about the rest of the country?



HT to Powerline.

Riots in Iran over fuel rations

And we think we have gas problems. This astonishing video is from the BBC. Here's more of the same. Kinda rminds you of the Carter days, when the US had price controls on gas?

MiLinks

Operation Phantom Thunder (The Surge) Factsheet.

"Mad Max" vs. Taliban?

Cougar: The Super Humvee.

Military Transformation Links from Winds of Change.

Buy One NH90, Get a Tokey Free.

Prop Planes Vs. Insurgents.

Mexico's Ehecatl UAV.

Special Forces unit learns 'Horsemanship 101'.

Sandia Supports Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon.

Russia Does UAVs Differently.

The ace in the hole for Marines on the ground.

Mastiff a hit with British troops.

Murtha versus Future Combat.

Land Warrior back from the dead.

Airborne Laser Aircraft Slated to Provide Missile Defense.

Supersonic Missile to Indian Army.

USAF presses control of UAVs.

Germans Want Grizzly MRAP.

Army Pushing to Accelerate New Armored Vehicles to Theater.

French Test-Fires Sub Ballistic Missile.

Study: F-35's short range a handicap.

Israel's laser-homing mortar bomb.

French AASM Precision Weapons unveiled.

The CIA releases "Family Jewels".

Blackmask is Back!

This is a little off-topic for New Wars, but one of my favorite websites is back online, after suffering an extended bout of legal troubles. Blackmask, now apparently called Munseys, is a wonderful site full of old pulp stories, classic sci-fi, you name it! Check it out if you love classics e-books.

Anti-War Message Hurting the Democrats

Not me saying this (this time) but Richard Cohen at the Washington Post:

The GOP is adept at painting Democrats as soft on national
security. It is equally adept at saying so in the most scurrilous way. And while
most Americans would like the war to end, they do not favor a precipitous
withdrawal and neither have they forgotten Sept. 11, 2001 -- the entirety of
Giuliani's case for the presidency, after all.
Will history trump the polls?
It will if, as in the past, the Democratic Party so wounds itself
fighting the war against the war, it nominates a candidate beloved by a minority
but mistrusted by a majority.

Well, painting the Left as weak on defense didn't help the Right much in 2006, but the truth always wins in the end. And of course, the Left does its part to help. Right John, Nancy?

Malaise Days Part 1

The Left is trying to restore the discredited policies from the 1970's, examples of which are detailed in this exert from the book The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister by John O'Sullivan, such as:

Appeasing Terror

The modern epidemic of terrorism had scarcely begun in 1970. That year, a secular Arab terrorist group seized four airplanes, landed three of them on Dawson's Field in Jordan, and threatened to murder the passengers unless their governments agreed to demands that included releasing terrorists from prison. Not only did Britain, West Germany, and Switzerland surrender to these demands, but they also put pressure on Israel to release terrorists whom the Israelis knew would immediately set about murdering more of their citizens-and not for the last time. In almost every terrorist crisis, European governments ignored and evaded their common institutions of anti-terrorist intelligence to reach quiet deals with the terrorists-usually on the latter's terms.

Fed in this way, terrorism grew steadily. By the decade's end, the victims of terrorism included Egypt's Anwar Sadat, Lord Louis Mountbatten, Aldo Moro (a leading Italian Christian Democrat), the West German banker Jurgen Ponto; the prime ministers of Jordan and Spain; U.S. ambassadors to Guatemala, Sudan, Cyprus, and Lebanon; and countless ordinary people who simply happened to be standing nearby when a bomb went off. To give some idea of the carnage inflicted by terrorism, Irish Republican terrorists alone murdered 944 people between 1969 and 1975, mainly in Northern Ireland but also on the British mainland.

Yet the Iraq Scapegoat Study Group says we should talk to terrorist-supporting states like Iran and Syria.

"Come Home Lindsey"

A video plea to Lindsey Graham from 24thState.

This is Wrong!!!!

I could see this coming, and here it is in the Washington Times:

House conservatives warn Bush of immigration's
cost

Conservative leaders among House Republicans say that
President Bush's upcoming showdown with them on immigration could threaten
support for the Iraq war as well as for the president's other top policy
goals.
"The White House should keep in mind that if they have a direct
confrontation with House Republicans on [immigration], it could affect the vote
on the Iraq appropriation in September," said Rep. Peter T. King, New York
Republican. "It will not affect me. I intend to stand by the president. But I do
think it is something they should keep in mind for other Republicans who are
borderline."

I'd have to question someones Patriotism, for stabbing our troops in the back like this, over a popular partisan issue. I want to seal the border too, but lets get Osama first, as well as the Iraqi's on their feet, or none of our petty bickering will save us.

Called as Seen says "conservatism left me".

Climate Change in History

Its nothing new, declares Bruce Bartlett:

In the Middle Ages, people began recording the temperature and
climate-related phenomena, such as the dates when plants began to blossom
annually. They were aware of a warming trend that began around 900 and a cooling
trend that began around 1300. We know that during the warm period, the Vikings
established settlements in Greenland, where perpetual ice had previously covered
the land. Ancient Norse records tell us that these settlements were abandoned
after 1250, when falling temperatures made farming less viable and spreading ice
in the sea made transportation more difficult...
By the 17th century, it was
clearly apparent that a cooling trend was altering sea routes, and changing the
kinds of crops farmers could grow, fishing patterns and so on. Glaciers began to
advance rapidly in many places, and rivers that had long been ice-free year
round started to freeze in the winter. This "little ice age" continued well into
the 19th century. Since then, we have been in a warming cycle that appears to
have accelerated around 1950.

I don't believe now is the time to tear down our industries with so called "Green" legislation, but socialists have seized on a common occurrence of nature, as if it is a sign from the Gods that we must respect their Creation more, and force on us their once-discredited ideology. But its our industry that will save us.

Bloggers: To ban or embrace?

Some candidates say yeah, other's nay in this report from Beltway Blogroll:

The presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., banned an Ohio blogger from covering an event he
had traveled all the way to New Hampshire to see...The encounter has revived the
question of whether bloggers should be treated as citizens or
journalists, or as citizen journalists, when attending
campaign events. It's an especially relevant question now in light of the OffTheBus citizen reporting planned for the
presidential campaign -- an effort that already has prompted criticisms about fairness.

The establishment is refusing to accept bloggers, because we are shining a light on their deeds, or misdeeds. Time to stand up for ourselves, as I point out in this week's Oped "The New Media United".

And NewsMax reports that Talk Radio hosts are being consulted on the Immigration Bill.

Iraqis are standing up

Michael Yon reports on the Battle of Baqubah (Operation Arrowhead Ripper) which appears to be winding down.While not everything has gone as planned, he has some good news about the Iraqi Army:

For security reasons, the Iraqi Army (IA) was not included in the
initial planning of Arrowhead Ripper, yet with each succeeding day the IA has
taken a larger role in the unfolding attack. The Fifth Iraqi Army Division is
considered an increasingly competent group of fighters, and from the limited
scope of 5th IA that I personally witnessed, that judgment seems correct. The
5th is committed to battle. Whereas the Iraqi Army is coming into the fight, and
playing increasingly critical roles, the local police force is less
impressive.

This is important because the more the Iraqi's are able to handle, the less need for our own brave and brilliant soldiers to go venture into harm's way.

My favorite quote is "(The troops) have learned, after hard fighting and serious losses throughout Iraq, that the best counter-IED “technology” we have is just getting out of our fighting vehicles and talking with Iraqis".

"Journalists conspiring to undermine the war effort"

The NY Times is condemning itself by releasing these Memos, because they say what most Americans are thinking:

In the reporter’s eyes, military officers may represent the
U.S. government and enlisted marines may represent the American People. Given
the current political climate in the U.S. at this time concerning the Iraq war
and the current administration’s conduct of the war, the reporter would most
likely seek to discredit the U.S. government...

One common tactic used by reporters is to spin a story in such
a way that it is easily recognized and remembered by the general population
through its association with an event that the general population is familiar
with or can relate to. For example, McGirk’s story will sell if it can be spun
as “Iraq’s My Lai massacre.” Since there was not an officer involved, this
attempt will not go very far.

The McGirk is the Time Magazine reporter who broke the Haditha story. Read more commentary on this article here, here and here.

Also read this from Honest Reporting: "NY Times and Washington Post Legally Complicit in Terror".

Blair Bows Out

The end of the Dream Team. For those who've been side-tracked by the tough fight in Iraq to criticize Bush and Blair, you are missing out on an Historic Era of Anglo-Saxon cooperation. It was every bit as relevant as the Churchill-Roosevelt, Thatcher-Reagan team during past crises in our two nations' history.

Pundits on both sides of the Atlantic often bemoan how Britain is the "51st State" deridingly calling Blair "Bush's poodle", when I think it is the mother country which still leads the way on foreign policy. Taking advantage of America's wealth and growing military strength, it was Churchill who cajoled and connived Roosevelt into defeating Germany first, when it was Japan who attacked us. During the Cold War, America simply displaced the UK as world's policemen, taking up where the Empire left off in protecting free trade and world peace.

Also, it was Thatcher who was in power before Reagan, and made it possible through her influence for the NATO Alliance to effectively stand-off the Russians, by allowing Pershing and Cruise Missiles in their countries. Thatcher later bolstered Bush Sr.'s courage in standing up to Saddam Hussein, by warning him, "not to go wobbly". Finally, it was British intelligence information that Iraq was seeking nuclear fuel in Nigeria, (which still remains true even if the sale never came off) which the President used as a basis for war in 2003. Some 40,000 British troops, its largest deployment since World War 2, were already in the region conducting wargames before the US forces were fully prepared.

I have a feeling, if you've read Blair's parting shot against the Media, which he called a Feral Beast, he will not go quietly into obscurity. As in the Star Wars movies, if you strike him down he will be more powerful than ever. Look for the great British Prime Minister to continue to write and speak out for the need to stand against Radicals and all such threats to freedom and the Atlantic Alliance.

I've written several articles on Bush and Blair over the years, including:

Blair in Honorable Company.

A Real League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

The League Strikes Back.

Human rights outrage in Iran

Michelle Malkin has the astonishing photos, which won't be on the front page of the NY Times tomorrow, or ever. Go there in support of freedom.

Is it Terrorist or Insurgent?

Confederate Yankee clarifies the terminology:

The reason that we've been reading more over the past few days
about attacks directed against al Qaeda—more than Sunni insurgents, more than
Shia militiamen—is that elements of al Qaeda have been specifically targeted by
U.S. and Iraqi forces in Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Diyala Province, in
Operation Commando Eagle southwest of Baghdad, Operation Marne Torch southeast
of Baghdad, and in other operations throughout the country.

Hopefully they'll throw in whatever Iranians are nearby for good measure!

US Marines: Please Email Us!

*Note*This was posted earlier in the week, but its worth a replay.

From the frontlines via Blackfive:

If anyone -- you know, just sit down, jot us -- throw us an e-
mail, write us a letter, let us know that the American public are behind us.
Because we watch the news just like everyone else. It's broadcast over here in
our chow halls and the weight rooms, and we watch that stuff, and we're a little
bit concerned sometimes that America really doesn't know what's going on over
here, and we get sometimes concerns that the American public isn't behind us and
doesn't see the importance of what's going on. So that's something I think that
all Marines, soldiers and sailors would like to hear from back home, that in
fact, yes, they think what we're doing over here is important and they are in
fact behind us.

And from Blogs for Bush, the address:

To e mail the Marines, use this address:
RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil

Honest News

A roundup of Good News in the War on Terror from the past week.

Video: US troops in dramatic rescue.

Iraq's 'Chemical Ali' sentenced to hang.

AL Sadr Bites the Hand That Feeds Him.

One week of Operation Phantom Thunder.

Al-Qaida's End?

Admiral surprises Soldiers with candid, detailed answers.

Lebanon Declares Victory Over Fatah Al Islam.

The Martyr of Mosul.

Strykers lead massive push in Iraq.

Operation Phantom Thunder: The Battle of Iraq.

Winning on Offense.

Iraqi, Coalition forces move forward despite attacks.

U.S., Iraqi troops rescue 24 abused boys from orphanage.

Marne Torch continues clearing insurgent safe havens.

30 Al Qaeda Fighters Killed in Iraq.

Michael Yon: Be Not Afraid.

Al Qaeda Camp struck in North Waziristan, Pakistan.

10,000 Soldiers Start Operation Arrowhead Ripper.

The United Kingdom honors its heroes.

Nancy Supports the Canadian Troops!

There she goes again. Hmmm... Why is it that Republicans are perceived as more knowledgeable on defense matters than the Dems? It could be because the Right knows the difference between ours and theirs. Picture and story via Michelle Malkin:

Looks like the Democrats are still using webmasters who don’t have
a clue what American troops look like–and they are working in Nancy Pelosi’s
office. McQ at Q&O has the screenshots (which are
likely to disappear soon, if Pelosi’s staff is awake today). The one above comes
from the front page of Pelosi’s official speaker’s website.

Not the first time this has happened, you may recall. I love Canada, and their brave warriors are currently kicking Taliban butt in Afghanistan, but please, Mrs. Speaker, let the Great White North take care of their own! Its nice you're looking out for them, but that's not what you're getting paid for.

Aircraft Carrier Vs. Cruise Missile 17

Iran has a 1000 ship fleet ready to strike any attacker. From the World Tribune:

The U.S. Navy has determined that Iran has amassed a fleet of fast
patrol boats in the 43-kilometer straits. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps, responsible for strategic programs, leads the effort.
At this point,
officials said, IRGC has deployed more than 1,000 FPBs in and around the
straits. The vessels, armed with cruise missiles, mines, torpedoes and
rocket-propelled grenades, are up to 23 meters in long and can reach a speed of
100 kilometers per hour.

"This marks the implementation of Iran's swarm
program, where dozens of armed speed boats attack much larger naval vessels from
all sides," an official said.
In 2005, IRGC developed its swarm doctrine
following Teheran's assessment that the United States was considering an air
strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Officials said the swarm doctrine was
designed to exploit the slow pace of U.S. aircraft carriers and destroyers in
the shallow waters of the Gulf.

This is the USN's worse nightmare and why the multi-billion dollar Aegis anti-missile program was originally developed. But can it handle the Swarm?

Honoring the Fighters

This article on the brave firefighters who died in the line of duty on Monday, is from FoxNews:

Nine caskets lined the front of a coliseum Friday as thousands of firefighters from across the nation, their hats
in their hands, honored nine colleagues killed in a furniture store blaze...The
fire Monday night created the single largest loss of firefighters' lives since
the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Beside the caskets, the faces of its victims looked
out proudly from large photos: Capt. William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48; Capt. Mike
Benke, 49; Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34; Mark Kelsey, 40; Bradford "Brad" Baity, 37;
Michael French, 27; James "Earl" Drayton, 56; Brandon Thompson, 27; and Melvin
Champaign, 46.

Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. told the crowd that
the men were heroes.
"It was their calling, it was their training, it was
their duty and, unflinchingly, without hesitation, with extreme courage, they
did it," he said. "They are public servants of the highest order. They want to
serve. They want to help. They want to save. And they want to protect."

A well deserved homage to these selfless public servants. Also, Lowcountry Blogs has exhaustive coverage of the funeral, including links and photos.

Yon Praises the Stryker

Michael Yon is on the frontlines reporting from Baqubah in Iraq on the ongoing Operation Arrowhead Ripper, and had good things to say about New Wars Mike's favorite armored vehicle:

I am with 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team. I’ve run a few missions
with them in Baghdad, and they have fought all over Iraq...The professionalism
of 3-2 is particularly high, and they are very competent fighters who are
maximizing their assets, including the incredible Stryker vehicles.While the
name “Stryker” is on the table, apparently controversy is brewing back home
whether Strykers should be in our arsenal. The answer is YES: we need all we can
get. The Stryker might be the finest all-around combat vehicle in Iraq. But that
is a matter for another day, and for professional soldiers to answer...Al Qaeda
seems to have been effectively isolated...They have been beaten back mostly into
pockets and are surrounded and will be dealt with. Part of this is actually due
to the capability of Strykers.

And on the Surge itself:

Our guys are winning. Al Qaeda is about to be strangled and
pummeled to death in this town, but the local Iraqi leadership is severely
wanting.

That last comment is good reason why now is no time to discuss a pullout.

I know its not about the weapons, but the men who wield them. Still it is a comfort to know that American industry can produce such a valuable asset to our troops like the Stryker. The right weapon at the right time.

Sea Links

Aussies Repelled Iranian Navy.

Hugo Chavez May Buy Sub Fleet.

Navy shifts priority away from Europe.

Australian Navy to buy Spanish ships.

Australia's Canberra Class LHDs.

French Test-Fire Sub Ballistic Missile.

Advanced Gun for New Destroyers.

The Jolly Roger flies again!

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Successful at Talisman Saber.

An All-Submarine Navy.

U-212: The supreme silent hunter.

What if we had lost the Falklands?

Problems in Russian aircraft carrier deal.

Australians repelled Iranian navy

The Australian Defense Force confirms a report appearing in newspapers, but I got it from Fortress Australia:

According to the BBC, the incident took place months before Iranian
Revolutionary Guards seized 15 British sailors and marines in March., setting
off a tense two-week diplomatic stand-off that might have been avoided if
Britain had learned from the Australian encounter.
The Britons were captured
over a boundary dispute while they were searching a cargo boat.Quoting a
"military source", BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner reports Iranian
forces made a concerted attempt to seize a boarding party from the Royal
Australian Navy and that the Australians "were having none of it".
"The BBC
has been told the Australians re-boarded the vessel they had just searched,"
Gardner reports, "aimed their machine guns at the approaching Iranians, and
warned them to back off, using what was said to be 'highly colourful
language'."

"Colorful language"? Sounds like the Aussies! See Video Here.

Reigning in Congress

What do you do with politicians who have tenure for life, but do more harm than good for the country? Roger Simon has an idea:

The first thing we need to deal with this is term limits.
Government has become a sinecure for the inept. We already have a two-term limit
on the Presidency. Similar limits on the House and Senate would be just fine. Of
course, we all know such limits stand little chance of passing. The incumbents,
on both sides of the aisle, want to stay in office for life.

This is tough. How do you control the people in control? But so many of our institutions are out-of-control these days: Congress, the Media, Judges, pursuing their own agenda rather than the will of the majority.

A General Tells it Like it is

Jimmy L. Cash, retired Air Force General on, among other things, why we need to support this President:

Initially, I was not a George Bush fan. I am not even a Republican.
I normally vote Republican, because of my total despise of Communism, Socialism
and the far-left in this country. I am a Conservative. However, during his
watch, I feel President Bush just happened to stumble upon the leading edge of
the greatest threat this country has ever faced. Mistakes have been made,
because of the newness of the threat. Overall, the President has done a superb
job dealing with the threat, and at the same time held off the constant ranting,
raving, deceitful and malicious escapades of the far-left attempting to regain
political power.

IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME THE COUNTRY NEEDS TO
COME TOGETHER AND BACK OUR PRESIDENT, IT IS RIGHT NOW. WITHOUT CONCENSUS WE ARE EMPOWERING THE TERRORIST!!!!

The general's letter is mainly about the Left, but many on the right who think that immigration is the only issue, TAKE HEED! I'm a little more concerned about getting blown up than a Mexican taking my job right now (though I care about that too!).

More orders for Force Protection

The Ladson, SC maker of mine-resistant vehicles is set to increase production:

Force Protection, Inc. today announced it has received a $221
million contract award to produce 455 vehicles for the U.S. Marine Corps' Mine
Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program. Force Protection
has received contracts to produce more than 1,800 MRAP vehicles to date. This
marks the fourth delivery order the manufacturer has received under the MRAP
program. The order calls for 395 Category I Cougar 4X4 and 60 Category II Cougar
6X6 vehicles, which will go to all branches of the U.S. military. Production of
the vehicles is slated for completion by the end of 2008.

"We are delighted to receive this most recent order,"
said Force Protection COO Raymond Pollard. "It permits us in concert with
General Dynamics Land Systems and other partnered contractors to continue to
increase the rate at which MRAP vehicles are being delivered to our government
customer. We, of course, anticipate more orders to sustain that rate, which is
currently scheduled to exceed 400 vehicles per month by February
2008."

Keep 'em coming guys, and keep our troops safe!

Al Qaeda "about to be slaughtered"

Michael Yon reports on the first day of Operation Arrowhead Ripper:

The heat is intense for the enemy and for us. Soldiers, during any
chance, would lay-down during the heat of day, and in complete body armor and
helmets, fall asleep in the dirt. I took photos of course. Our guys are tough.
The enemy in Baqubah is as good as any in Iraq, and better than most. That’s
saying a lot. But our guys have been systematically trapping them, and have
foiled some big traps set for our guys. I don’t want to say much more about
that, but our guys are seriously outsmarting them. Big fights are ahead and we
will take serious losses probably, but al Qaeda, unless they find a way to
escape, are about to be slaughtered. Nobody is dropping leaflets asking them to
surrender. Our guys want to kill them, and that’s the plan.

Please read the whole thing.

“Bitter mistakes of historic proportion”.

That's what at least one Iranian newspaper is describing Hamas' takeover of Gaza, according to Meir Javedanfar at Pajamas Media:

To be sure, the piece lists what it calls “Fatah conspiracies
against Hamas” and how the West supported Fatah’s anti-Hamas activities. However
it also looks askance at Hamas’s excessive use of force, such as gagging and
bounding Fatah operatives, and then throwing them off 14th floor balconies.
According to Baztab, such acts will serve to silence Hamas supporters and damage
its standing in Palestinian society.The fact that such questions are openly
being raised by the mouthpiece of a powerful ex-military official such as Mohsen
Rezai, who is also the deputy chairman of the Expediency Council, shows that
alarm bells have started to ring in Iran.

And hope-fully push more Muslims currently straddling the fence, into the pro-democracy, pro-American camp. Everything, of course, hinges on the Battle of Iraq, and the success of the Surge.

Congress' Approval lowest in Gallup history

Yikes! and they're just getting started. From USA Today:

Just 14% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of
confidence in Congress.
This 14% Congressional confidence rating is
the all-time low for this measure, which Gallup initiated in 1973. The
previous low point for Congress was 18% at several points in the period of time
1991 to 1994.

All-time low? Doesn't bode well for the future of Democracy in America, especially when Republicans are getting heat for their support of amnesty.

Also, Ramesh Ponnuru at National Review comments "If the public is just unhappy with all the politicians, they may take it out on the party they perceive to be in power—and that is still the Republicans. "

But, Mark Noonan sees "an opportunity here for Republicans to capitalise on."

Plus, only 3% approve of Congress' handling of immigration.

"The largest offensive operation in Iraq since 2003"

Thats how Bill Roggio describes this new counterattack against the forces of Al Qaeda and Al Sadr holding the nation hostage:

Operation Arrowhead Ripper the assault on Baqubah, kicked off with
an air assault. Iraqi Army scouts accompanied elements of the 3rd Stryker
Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division. The operation in Baqubah is
modeled after the successful operation to clear Tal Afar in September of 2005, which was designed
and executed by Col. H.R. McMaster. The plan is to essentially "seal, kill, hold
and rebuild." The city is cordoned, neighborhoods are identified as friendly or
enemy territory, the neighborhoods are then segmented and forces move in with
the intent to kill or capture the enemy. As both Michael Gordon and Michael
Yon reported from Baqubah, the goal isn't just to clear
the city of insurgents, but to trap and kill them in place. The combat
operations are then immediately followed by humanitarian and reconstruction
projects.

Our thought and prayers are with our brave warriors. This is the terrorists' Waterloo.

Sea Phantom in Action!

Batman should get one of these!

Hamas' Self Destruction

Jules Crittenden is "cheering the terrorists on" as they commit hari kari in Gaza:

Already isolated before its henchmen started tossing Fatah members
off the roofs of Gaza, Hamas is now pleading for Arab “neutrality.” Egypt,
already active against smugglers, is moving to contain Hamas. Israel has
promised to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. But what Hamas did was turn Gaza
into a free-fire zone for the Israeli Army. There is no reason whatsoever for
Israeli restraint in crossing the border to excise the cancer, and no one who
can credibly raise an outcry against Israel when it does.Fatah, having lost,
immediately won Israeli and western financial and political support.

This was my view earlier, that Hamas in control of Gaza is not a disaster but an opportunity. The terrorists have shown their true colors, which makes them instant targets for the pro-democracy, anti-radical forces on the offensive world-wide.

Why the UN Hearts Global Warming

Interesting insight from Strategypage:

...the real problems, the ones you can actually solve, like
corruption and poverty, get pushed into the background. Taking another long look
backward, we see that the cure for most of the world's ills are things as simple
as education and clean government. Where they occur, the population and poverty
problems are solved. So why doesn't it happen, especially at the UN? The answer
is simple, most of the countries in the UN are run by people who are the
corrupt. Bad government and corruption are very common, and the people running
these badly governed countries are not eager to reform themselves out of a job.
The UN exists to serve its members, and the one thing its members want to do is
stay in power.

Yes, the socialists who want to disperse the world's wealth, and make the North as impoverished as the South, have finally found a unifying cause. The thing is, China and India don't suffer from the same "Guilt" complex as the West, for colonialism, slavery, the crusades, whatever, so they and their booming economies get off scott free.

MiLinks

Taranis: UK's Giant UAV.

Predators in Paris.

Coast Guard considering drones to watch long coastlines.

Super Hornets at a bargain.

F-35 vertol ahead of schedule.

Incomparable US - UK Military budget/Power.

Next-generation Sky Warrior's maiden flight a success.

Army Recognizes Greatest Inventions for 2006.

World's Largest 'Virtual Battle'.

Europe's NEURON UCAV Program.

UAV Demonstrator Sharc Successfully Completes First Flight.

New Hot War, Old Cold Warrior.

Iraqi Air Force makes milestone landing at combat outpost.

Australia tests Mach 10 Scramjet.

More prisons to defeat terror.

Video: Assault Breacher Vehicle.

The Military's New Counterinsurgency Plan.

Giving new meaning to "stink bomb".

Success for Kinetic Energy Interceptor.

Flight Testing of Australian Wedgetail Aircraft.

Yon joins the Surge

Unlike most mil bloggers, I'm not a big fan of Michael Yon, who's from the John McCain school that states before 2007 nothing went right in Iraq. But there's no doubting Michael is an outstanding writer, for example:

Our jets will drop bombs and we will use rockets. Helicopters will
cover us, and medevac our wounded and killed. By the time you read this, our
artillery will be firing, and our tanks moving in. And Humvees. And Strykers.
And other vehicles. Our people will capture key terrain and cutoff escape
routes. The idea this time is not to chase al Qaeda out, but to trap and kill
them head-on, or in ambushes, or while they sleep. When they are wounded, they
will be unable to go to hospitals without being captured, and so their wounds
will fester and they will die painfully sometimes. It will be horrible for al
Qaeda. Horror and terrorism is what they sow, and tonight they will reap their
harvest. They will get no rest. They can only fight and die, or run and try to
get away. Nobody is asking for surrender, but if they surrender, they will be
taken.

The Bloggers are the Ernie Pyles and Edward R. Murrows in this war. Sadly, the old MSM which kept us glued to our radios in WW 2, are too stifled by partisan bias to matter at all.

After the Storm...

This was taken about 7:30 PM.

We've been getting some much needed showers here in SC, after about 2 months of draught conditions.

Election 2008 Apology Watch #5

We haven't seen one of these in a while! This one is from Obama:

Presidential Hopeful Barack Obama Calls India Memo Attacking
Hillary Clinton 'Dumb Mistake'

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Monday
said his campaign made a "dumb mistake" when it circulated a memo criticizing
rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's financial ties to India.
In an interview with
The Associated Press, Obama disavowed the memo which carried the headline —
"Hillary Clinton (D-Punjab) — and referred to Bill and Hillary Clintons'
investments in India; her fundraising among Indian-Americans; and the former
president's $300,000 in speech fees from Cisco, a company that has moved U.S.
jobs to India.
"It was a dumb mistake on our campaign's part and I made it
clear to my staff in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake," Obama told the
AP in a brief interview in which he referred to the memo as "unnecessarily
caustic."

Stay tuned to New Wars for all your Election 2008 Politically Correct nonsense!

9 Firefighters Perish in Charleston

That is the latest report on the terrible Charleston fire in West Ashley last night. I was directed to this site by Heather at lowcountry blogs:

The Sofa Super Store in West Ashley was destroyed by fire Monday
night while hundreds of onlookers watched.
The store and warehouse at 8107
Savannah Highway caught fire shortly after 6:30 p.m. A large plume of smoke
could be seen from as far away as Ladson.
The roof collapsed and sent a
roaring ball of burning debris rolling over the top of about two-dozen rescue
workers.
Hundreds of onlookers were pelted with hot ash.
Mark Hilton of
Ridgeville said he could feel the sting as a piece of ash went in an eye. He was
mesmerized by the site of the large furniture store and its adjacent warehouse
ablaze.

My friend Susan, who works in West Ashley says she didn't know about the fire until she got home after nine and saw it on the news.

BBC: Bias Broadcasting Corporation

As told by Honest Reporting, among others:

Bias at the BBC is not confined to its coverage of Israel. As
reported in many UK newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph:
"The BBC is operating in a "left-leaning comfort zone" and has an "innate
liberal bias" according to a report commissioned by the corporation. The report, From Seesaw to Wagon
Wheel (PDF format), said that the BBC's drift
towards a liberal-minded approach to programmes risked stifling originality and
angering viewers."

This isn't only bad for the BBC, but for all its listeners, who are concerned about the threat to their lives from Islamic Radicals. The West needs to mobilize all its resources to combat this new threat to freedom, but instead of helping, the Media has become a hindrance.

Britain loses the Falklands

A frightening "What If" scenario by Andrew Roberts:

Demoralised by the proof that she was no longer a frontrank
power, Britain sunk into a mood of resigned malaise and apathy, exacerbated by a
series of political misjudgments in Westminster.

When Arthur Scargill's National Union of Mineworkers
struck for a 25 per cent wage increase in late 1984, the Foot government
immediately surrendered. More strikes followed.

And when terrorists took over the Iranian embassy in
Prince's Gate, London, Foot also gave in to their demands and allowed them to
leave the country unharmed, thus prompting a new wave of hostage-taking.
Similarly, when 11 IRA terrorists went on hunger strike in the Maze Prison
near Belfast, the British Government acceded to their demands. Sensing the
post-Falklands demoralisation at the heart of British Government and society,
the IRA stepped up its bombing campaign, and finally wrung from Ulster Secretary
John Smith an agreement that allowed Dublin to decide the province's domestic
policy.

What's even more disturbing, is without Thatcher and no firm ally in Europe to stand up to the Soviets, the Reagan Revolution and the Fall of the Berlin Wall might never happened. Would you and I be viewing the Internet today or under the iron grip of communist domination?

And So it Begins...

Despite Sen. Reid's impatience, Bill Roggio reports the Surge is just getting started, and its already having an effect:

After months of preparation, the Baghdad Security Operation is now
fully underway. The operations in the Baghdad belts and greater Diyala come as
U.S. and Iraqi forces continue to establish the Joint Security Stations and
Combat Outposts inside Baghdad, and clear and hold the neighborhoods. At last
count, forty percent of Baghdad is now considered secure. Major, mass casualty
suicide attacks inside the capital have been few and far between the past
several weeks, while mortar attacks, IED strikes and small scale bombings and
shootings are still a major threat.

Expect more such attention getting, but militarily insignificant attacks to occur throughout the summer, but steel your nerves.

Troops love the Stryker

Col. Steve Townsend of the Stryker Brigades criticizes the armchair generals who deride the main combat vehicle leading the fight against the terrorists:

Loren Thompson is quoted as saying that when the
Army conceived the Stryker it "was more concerned about mobility and agility
than it was about protection." In fact, the Army built superb protection into
every Stryker. In two tours and 23 months of combat in some of the toughest
places in Iraq (including Samarra, Mosul, Tal Afar, Najaf, Al Kut, Baghdad,
Diwaniyah and Baqubah), we have had only a handful of penetrations of a Stryker
from rocket-propelled grenades, though hundreds have been fired at and scores
have struck our Strykers. The roadside bombs that sometimes damage or destroy
our Strykers are large or sophisticated enough to defeat any vehicle -- M1A2
tanks included.

And my favorite point:

The Stryker isn't perfect, but it is clearly the best vehicle
available for the kind of fight we are in right now.

That's the key, isn't it? Get weapons which are good enough into the hands of the troops now. Instead the Pentagon and industry like weapons which take decades to develop and are often obsolete when they eventually get built. A case in point is here.

Dems Lament "Do-Nothing Congress"

This is reported by Reuters. Got to love it!:

"If Democrats fail to reverse course, the dynamics in the 2008
elections may shift significantly, allowing Republicans to run as the party of
change ... only two years after Democrats successfully campaigned on that same
theme," Senate Republican leaders told their ranks in a letter last
week....

"The primary reason is war," said James Thurber of American
University's Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies.
But there are
other reasons. "People have problems in their lives and they don't see the White
House or Congress dealing with it," Thurber said.
A Quinnipiac University
poll this month found Congress with an approval rating of just 23 percent.
"People voted for change. But they don't think they got it," said Peter Brown,
an assistant director of the poll.

This is very interesting. Here we are in the first stages of an election cycle and both political groups, Left and Right, are dissatisfied with their Parties. One sites the war as reason, the other, spending, immigration, ect. This is going to be a very interesting election in 2008.

Remember Me

I've posted this before, but it seems to be getting some notoriety, so here it is again.

Good News from Gaza

The positive side of the Hamas terrorist takeover of the Gaza Strip is speculative on my part, but the facts are growing. The Jerusalem Post reports that Fatah, the more moderate Palestinian Party, is pleading for Israeli help in putting down their more radical countrymen. Fatah isn't much better, but if there is any hope for the Palestinians, it is with these guys.

Lincoln once said "a house divided against itself cannot stand" and in Palestine, Hamas is currently proving this point. They have no intention of getting along with their countrymen or their neighbors. Life to them, like with Al Qaeda, is just one big jihad. There's no compromise, "just obey our hate-spouting, murderous world-view or die".

What all this means is, with Hamas showing the world its true terrorist colors, it has, like Hezbollah last year, placed itself on the losing side of the Global War on Terror. Now the world is lending its sympathy and support for Fatah, while the radicals sow the seeds of their own destruction. Only a matter of time.

The Essential Blogger

Ace of Spades details why the "pajamas media" is so important today:

It's always been my contention that the most important
function of blogs was to let people know that, despite the official
pronouncements from the media and their supposed representatives, their views
were actually, in many cases, the majority view, and so they should not act
meekly as if they were a small minority doomed to lose but should rather fight
like the mainstream representatives of the majority, destined to win, they
really are.
That's how the media and political establishment conspire to push
unpopular legislation on the public -- by convincing them their views are
marginal and could not possibly win, and, in fact, are "extremist" and therefore
things to be kept quiet about in secret shame....

Without some method of national, rapid, widely disseminated
messaging, how could millions of people be alerted to the fact that they were in
fact the majority and not just a "small group" of "noisy" "extremists" who
"don't want what's best for America," as the MSM and Republican leadership
itself is telling them?

I once heard Col. David Hunt give an ego-smashing speech on how bloggers will never have the audience of the MSM or their influence. He may be right, but its been proven we influence the media, and more recently politicians in Washington. Good enough reason for me and you to keep on posting.

Honest News

Abbas Told US Foreign Aid Embargo Will Be Lifted

U.S. Launches New Offensive in Baghdad

West Baghdad market thrives during troop surge

Petraeus says security crackdown working

Anbar joins the fight against terror.

Key Al-Qaeda-Iraq leader killed

Combating Terror in Paradise

Two generations serving in Iraq

Overhauls equip Strykers for next mission

Al-Qaeda military emir of Mosul killed

Bali Bomber Seized In Indonesia

Samarra Mosque bombing suspects identified

Operation Happy Note

Al Qaeda in Iraq overreaches

The Guaranteed Iraq Solution

Why The Most Important Stuff Is Not Reported

Iraqis drive out al Qaeda in Diyala

Our Common Struggle

New Wars on "The Tank"

Thanks to W. Thomas Smith Jr from National Review's the Tank for mentioning us (here and here) online. One of our favorite military blogs!

War Reporting

W. Thomas Smith Jr. compares a war we are told we are losing, to one we clearly won:

Then let's compare today's page-one story (for zillions of major
web-based publications) of the crash of a single Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon,
with the loss of 54 Army Air Forces B-24 Liberators (out of 178 aircraft) during
the daring Ploesti Raid of World War II on August 1, 1943.
The raid's
target(s) were the Ploesti oil fields in Rumania, which were believed to be
supplying upwards of 60 percent of Germany's crude oil: A fact that prompted
USAAF Brigadier General Uzal Ent to say, "If nobody comes back, the results will
have been worth the cost."
Five-hundred thirty-two men out of 1,726 did not
come back. Of the actual planes that survived the raid, only 31 were able to fly
the next day...

Today however, one of the top news stories being reported from a
war which we are supposed to be losing, was the story of the loss of one
airplane.

I had a Democrat supporter tell me once that the death of a single soldier was too many. Yeah. Glad our fore-fathers who gave their lives for freedom never considered this.

Terrorist Victory in Gaza

Bill Roggio reports:

In less than a week's fighting, Hamas ran roughshod over the
numerically superior, long established and better armed Fatah security forces.
Hamas attacked and killed women and children for merely being affiliated with
Fatah. Captured Fatah officers were frog marched through the streets in various
states of undress, and beat and executed their rivals. Fatah fighters were
thrown from roofs of buildings. Executions of Fatah members are said to be
ongoing, although Hamas offered an amnesty.
Hamas is now engaged in an orgy of looting.

Yes it is tragic, but proof positive that Bush is right for staying the course in Iraq and pushing for change in the violent Middle East. As Ralph Peter states:

WONDER what Iraq would look like if we left to morrow? Take a look at Gaza
today. Then imagine a situation a thousand times worse.

Get the picture?