GWB Sends Thank Yous to Every Soldier Killed in Iraq and Afghanistan

There is plenty to fault President George W. Bush for. The handling of Katrina, the War in Iraq, the economic collapse, the flawed bailouts... the list goes on. But it is important to remember that even in the depth of ones popularity, no president is all wrong. Consider the latest news that the president personally wrote letters to the families of every soldier who died in Iraq and Afghanistan to thank them for their sacrifice.

"I do get a little emotional because it's - I'm genuine when I say I'll miss being the commander in chief," the president told The Times. "I am in awe of our military. And I hold these folks in great respect. And I also sincerely appreciate the sacrifices that their families make."

Whether you agree with the War or not, we need to honor military families who have given the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country. And those who were willing, but did not have to give it. It is impossible to overestimate how much we owe the men and women who have served the country under all manners of commanders and chief.

Gotta admit, I had not seen it this way

From Townhall.Com

Perspective on the Iraqi Withdrawal Date

One of the most under-reported stories of the Thanksgiving season was the Iraqi and American governments signing a treaty to authorize American troops in Iraq thru 2009 and setting a withdrawal date in 2010. Charles Krauthammer has up a good analysis of the deal achieved, and what it means for Iraq's government and people. The short version: It shows a much more mature parliament than we expected to ever see in Iraq only a year ago.

Iraqi Cabinet sets withdrawal dates for U.S. troops

As predicted, anyone who voted for Obama because he would withdraw troops from Iraq has had their vote made irrelevant. The Iraqi cabinet has set dates for U.S. troops to leave Iraq. They claim the dates are firm and we are required to honor them.

The agreement sets June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

The date for all troops to leave Iraq will be December 31, 2011, he said.

Honestly, it is a good thing. It shows a level of maturity and confidence in the Iraqi government. Hopefully, it is truly reflective of the realities on the ground.

Preeptive War in America - Dead or Alive?

If Barack Obama is the next president, many among us will be assuming that the doctrine of preemptive war (that American can start a war with a terrorist state without being first attacked) is dead. But politicians have a way of adopting any policy - even that of their rivals - if it means getting done what they want done.

I am interested in what Mod-Bloggers think about preemption and whether it remains a viable political philosophy for the future? Has the Iraq War disproven it? Has it proven its effectiveness? Or was it all smoke and mirrors, anyway?

My own opinion was that it was always a bad idea, based on principles that we used to consider un-American. It was a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11 which cooler heads would have rejected in time, if it had not been used immediately to justify the invasion of Iraq. I think the next president would do well to abandon it. But I suspect they will only do so, if Congress works to regain their Constitutional power over declaring and funding wars.

In case you missed it, we invaded Syria on Sunday

Apparently, while Democrats were obsessed with the idea of Bush ordering an invasion of Iran before the election, Special Forces instead decided to enter Syria in pursuit of Al Qaeda. Syria is furious.

A U.S. military official said the raid by special forces targeted the foreign fighter network that travels through Syria into Iraq. The Americans have been unable to shut the network down in the area because Syria was out of the military's reach.

"We are taking matters into our own hands," the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivity of cross-border raids.

The attack came just days after the commander of U.S. forces in western Iraq said American troops were redoubling efforts to secure the Syrian border, which he called an "uncontrolled" gateway for fighters entering Iraq.

Hopefully, this does not mean we are entering a new phase of the war. But some quotes from officials in the article make it sound like the military is trying to get in a few parting shots before the election.

Claim: Obama tried to delay Iraq agreement

Okay, I was going to make today a "politics-free zone" here at Mod-Blog, since we have had some contentious debates this week. But I don't see how I can NOT post this one. The Washington Times, an admittedly right-leaning paper, is claiming Obama tried to delay a deal to begin phasing out U.S. troops until after the election. Presumably, this would be to echo the Iranian situation with Jimmy Carter where the hostages were released only after Ronald Reagan was elected, handing him a political bonanza.

"In the conversation, the senator urged Iraq to delay the [memorandum of understanding] between Iraq and the United States until the new administration was in place," said Samir Sumaidaie, Iraq's ambassador to the United States.

He said Mr. Zebari replied that any such agreement would not bind a new administration. "The new administration will have a free hand to opt out," he said the foreign minister told Mr. Obama.

I really hope this is false, or at least greatly exaggerated. I'd like to hope both Obama and McCain are more honorable than this. But I hope the facts come out quickly, rather than leaving us with 4 weeks of charges and counter-charges. One can't help wondering if this is the "October Surprise" for this cycle.

What would an Iraqi withdrawal plan mean to the Presidential race?

Barack Obama has made a cornerstone of his campaign that he is the only candidate out there who opposed the Iraq War from the beginning and who will get U.S. troops out. It has been central to his popularity among the core of the Democratic Party, and was the wedge that got the foot in the door for a rookie senator from Illinois. And, it has been a critical defining difference between Obama and John McCain.

But now it appears a formal withdrawal agreement with the Iraqi government is close. It could be signed in the next month or so, and it would put real (though tentative) end dates for U.S. combat troops and advisory troops in the country.

If such an agreement is signed, how will it impact the campaign? Will Obama see a sudden drop in popularity, as his key issue becomes moot? Will John McCain see a bump in the polls with an end to the War now in sight? Or will Hillary Clinton use it at the Democratic Convention as an argument to overturn the original delegate totals because "facts have now changed"?

What do Mod-Bloggers think the impact of such an agreement would be?

Al-Qaeda on the verge of collapse?

I imagine after the political fiasco of the "Mission Accomplished" banner, the Bush Administration is loathe to call any conflict "near victory". But the CIA has now released a report indicating that Al-Qaeda may be on its last legs.

"On balance, we are doing pretty well," he said, ticking down a list of accomplishments: "Near strategic defeat of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat for al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al-Qaeda globally -- and here I'm going to use the word 'ideologically' -- as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam," he said.

The sense of shifting tides in the terrorism fight is shared by a number of terrorism experts, though some caution that it is too early to tell whether the gains are permanent. Some credit Hayden and other U.S. intelligence leaders for going on the offensive against al-Qaeda in the area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where the tempo of Predator strikes has dramatically increased from previous years. But analysts say the United States has caught some breaks in the past year, benefiting from improved conditions in Iraq, as well as strategic blunders by al-Qaeda that have cut into its support base.

"One of the lessons we can draw from the past two years is that al-Qaeda is its own worst enemy," said Robert Grenier, a former top CIA counterterrorism official who is now managing director of Kroll, a risk consulting firm. "Where they have succeeded initially, they very quickly discredit themselves."

This may also explain the rumored Bin Laden tape which calls for the use of WMDs on Western Civilians - a sign of desperation and a complete abandonment of any moral high ground by even the most ardent Militant Islamic observer.

Ward and I were discussing just yesterday the administrations unwillingness to toot its own horn right now in the Iraq War and the battle against Al-Gaeda. Do you think this is a reversal of that policy, or is the CIA trying to make their own news outside of the White House news cycle?

Time to go, or time to surge again?

If John McCain's view of the Iraq War is to prevail, he needs many articles like this one. From an embedded reporter, it calls upon Congress to learn the lessons of the war and send MORE troops not less.

This leads us to the most out-of-date aspect of the Senate debate: the argument about the pace of troop withdrawals. Precisely because we have made so much political progress in the past year, rather than talking about force reduction, Congress should be figuring ways and means to increase troop levels. For all our successes, we still do not have enough troops. This makes the fight longer and more lethal for the troops who are fighting. To give one example, I just returned this week from Nineveh province, where I have spent probably eight months between 2005 to 2008, and it is clear that we remain stretched very thin from the Syrian border and through Mosul. Vast swaths of Nineveh are patrolled mostly by occasional overflights.

The problem, of course, is that American patience for the war is almost spent. Fighting any war is always a balance between the needs of the war and the resources of the people. A war between "good enough", and the perfect solution. Some charge the reason we're here now, is an unwillingness to accept "good enough" and an attempt to impose American Ideals on an Iraq without an American history to build upon.

I am not sure which is right, but I think now is the time for McCain and Obama/Clinton to truly have the debate. Otherewise, it will be more politics where neither side can compromise with the other. And compromise in Iraq is a good part of what has turned this War around.

Interesting look at a Post-9/11 Hollywood

The video makes an interesting point which I think really highlights the difference between the Republican and Democratic Parties. Republicans are living in a world defined by 9/11. Democrats are living in a world defined by the Iraq War. This goes a long way toward explaining the differences in emphases and priorities in the parties and why they find it so hard to find a middle ground these days.

What is the incentive for female suicide bommers?

Today 2 women blew themselves up in a suicide attack on a pet market. In this case the women were supposedly mentally disabled, but there seems to have been a rash of female suicide attack recently. This got me to thinking, what is the incentive for women to do this type of thing. The men of course have the glory of Allah, as well as the promise of 70 virgins when they get to heaven. Women can, of course, glorify Allah by doing this sort of thing, but is there an equivalent promise to the 70 virgins for the women? I'm being serious here, no disrespect intended at all. I doubt any of our readers know the answer to this question, but it does seem vexing to me. Thoughts....?

Posted without further comment

Jessica Lynch rescue a fake?

The BBC is reporting Iraqi claims that the rescue of Jessica Lynch - whose capture, torture, and return has made her an icon of the war - was staged.

"There was no [sign of] shooting, no bullet inside her body, no stab wound - only road traffic accident. They want to distort the picture. I don't know why they think there is some benefit in saying she has a bullet injury."

Witnesses told us that the special forces knew that the Iraqi military had fled a day before they swooped on the hospital.

"We were surprised. Why do this? There was no military, there were no soldiers in the hospital," said Dr Anmar Uday, who worked at the hospital.

"It was like a Hollywood film. They cried 'go, go, go', with guns and blanks without bullets, blanks and the sound of explosions. They made a show for the American attack on the hospital - action movies like Sylvester Stallone or Jackie Chan."

I think we should hold off on this. On the one hand, I don't put this past a media-savvy commander to do. On the other hand, I don't put it past a media-savvy Iraqi politician to plant this story in order to discredit American soldiers, either.

Iraqis miss all targets for progress

I still support the Iraq War. There. I have said it. And I mean it. It was a good thing to remove the madman Sadaam Hussein from power - stopping the filling of mass graves - and the only way it was going to happen was by application of military force. But it is becoming harder and harder to support the peace, as every report shows an Iraqi government unwilling or unable to make progress.

A progress report on Iraq will conclude that the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad has not met any of its targets for political, economic and other reform, speeding up the Bush administration's reckoning on what to do next, a U.S. official said Monday.
One likely result of the report will be a vastly accelerated debate among President Bush's top aides on withdrawing troops and scaling back the U.S. presence in Iraq.
The "pivot point" for addressing the matter will no longer be Sept. 15, as initially envisioned, when a full report on Bush's so-called "surge" plan is due, but instead will come this week when the interim mid-July assessment is released, the official said.
"The facts are not in question," the official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the draft is still under discussion. "The real question is how the White House proceeds with a post-surge strategy in light of the report."

I have beeen thinking for some time about the best way to address this situation, since we all knew that at the very least not EVERY target would be met. Where do we go from here? After all, Sadaam Hussein slaughtered all of the best and brightest, so it is not a great shock that those who remain lack experience. But at the same time, there comes a time when you stop making excuses and start forcing accountabiliity. One wonders how different a presidential race it will be if the troops are out of Iraq by Election Day 2008.

Cindy Sheehan says "No Mas"

After many years being the face of the Anti-War fringe, Cindy Sheehan has decided to bow out of her quest to end the Iraq War and impeach GWB.

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.

I can't say that I will miss Cindy Sheehan. She never brought any kind of rational argument to the debate, and merely served to distract from any real discussion of the issues. However, I wish her well in her attempt to restore her life to some semblance of normalcy.

Is the Cold War with Iran heating up?

The Guardian (a British publication) is claiming that the ongoing cold war with Iran over their nuclear ambitions is about to flare up into full-heat, as Iran goes all-out to turn Iraq into the stage for a proxy war with America and Britain.

The official said US commanders were bracing for a nationwide, Iranian-orchestrated summer offensive, linking al-Qaida and Sunni insurgents to Tehran's Shia militia allies, that Iran hoped would trigger a political mutiny in Washington and a US retreat. "We expect that al-Qaida and Iran will both attempt to increase the propaganda and increase the violence prior to Petraeus's report in September [when the US commander General David Petraeus will report to Congress on President George Bush's controversial, six-month security "surge" of 30,000 troop reinforcements]," the official said.
"Certainly it [the violence] is going to pick up from their side. There is significant latent capability in Iraq, especially Iranian-sponsored capability. They can turn it up whenever they want. You can see that from the pre-positioning that's been going on and the huge stockpiles of Iranian weapons that we've turned up in the last couple of months. The relationships between Iran and groups like al-Qaida are very fluid," the official said.

I can't imagine anything more dangerous than this kind of brinksmanship from Iran. It would not take much to push Allied forced into a retaliatory strike on Iran - or to taking the leash off of Israel to allow them to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities - which could lead to all-out war. And if America is not very effective at fighting guerilla insurgency, we are quite good at fighting conventional wars with nation-states. Just ask Sadaam Hussein or the Taliban. Unfortunately, wars don't tend to stay localized in the Middle East.

What we do affects our families, too.

CNN has up an article about the Muslim owners of a pizza restaurant right outside of Fort Dix where 7 men were arrested recently for plotting a killing spree against American servicemen. One of those arrested was the son of the owner and the plotters chose the restaurant as a cover because it delivered to the base. Now, soldiers and base personnel are shunning the pizzeria. CNN appears to be mourning this as punishing the innocent father for the sins of the son.

This is an important lesson for those who would harbor the enemies of America, and not anything that the Fort Dix crowd should be ashamed of. What we do reflects not only upon us, but also upon our families. The son of the owner needs to learn that his crime is not in isolation, but affects the whole world.

We Need More Troops

The U.S. Army commander over northern Iraq has asked for more troops in order to get the job done in the Diyala province. It's refreshing to see a news article where there are comments from someone who knows we're making progress and that troops and time is really what we need, along with support from the Iraqi government.

If you doubt the kinds of monsters we're dealing with in Iraq...

...read this story and be reminded. The American military discovered this week that a new girls school being built north of Baghdad literally had artillery shells baked into the foundation!!! detonating cord has been run throughout the building, turning the school into a building-wise IED (improvised explosive device). Discovered by accident, it shows an Al Qaeda attempt to murder perhaps hundreds of innocent little girls, merely to generate terror for their parents and to make the point that educating females is against Bin Ladin's idea of proper Islam.

I truly do not understand why Feminists like Nancy Pelosi refuse to speak out on things like this. If we leave Iraq and Al Qaeda moves in, they will want to impose a Taliban-style government which sends women back to the times when they had no place in public discourse... or even the public space at all. Are they so focused on embarrassing GWB, that they don't care about this?