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July 17, 2006

Status of Forces

By Greyhawk

A look at Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who "is believed to lead a force of about 5,000, backed by around 12,000 short- and medium-range rockets" in southern Lebanon.

On Saturday he issued a statement saying to Israel, "You wanted an open war and we are ready for an open war."

Whether that was bluster remains to be seen. What's clear is that he is south Lebanon's unquestioned ruler, and answers to no one else in Lebanon.

On the walls of his Beirut headquarters -- at least until they were destroyed in an Israeli air strike on Saturday -- two oversized photographs hint at his real allegiances. The portraits were of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, and predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

There was not a Lebanese flag in sight.

More background here:
Hezbollah clearly made a decision in favour of fighting over a political role, and felt confident it was strong enough for the fight it knew it was starting.

Israel says that's because Iran has been feeding the guerrilla arsenal with beefed-up rockets, even sending 100 members of its elite Revolutionary Guards to help launch them, a claim Nasrallah denied yesterday.

Hezbollah, which was founded in 1982 after Iran's Revolutionary Guards were sent to Lebanon during Israel's invasion of the country, is thought to receive between $10 million to $20 million US a month from Iran, and its fighters regularly go there for training.

But Iranian fighters have not been seen in Lebanon in the last 15 years.

Already the new fighting has deepened divisions in Lebanon, mostly along sectarian lines.

The country's 1.2 million Shiites largely support Hezbollah, while Sunnis, Christians and Druse mostly oppose it.

Lebanon's army of about 70,000 soldiers far outnumbers Hezbollah's estimated 6,000 fighters.

The deployment - or lack thereof - of the Lebanese Army will be an indicator of "rising tensions" (for want of a better term). Lebanon will have to draw a line somewhere, but I expect they'll remain well north of the action - effectively making Lebanon militarily "neutral" (also for want of a better term) in the conflict. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some sort of communication on that topic between the governments of Israel and Lebanon has already occurred.

But at least for a few more days (after which international pressure will be brought to bear on the Israelis) Israel will be calling the shots - regardless of bluster from Hezbollah. If they are serious about a long and painful campaign, what they've done so far is simply "shape the battlespace" - creating a battleground on which they plan to win, under conditions as advantageous to their goals as possible.

One thing you can be sure of - Israel has no plan to rebuild Lebanon. Once this conflict is over - or placed on temporary hold - the international community will have an opportunity to achieve some real results in Lebanon. (Or a huge mess to clean up, whichever you prefer.) Iran and Syria will certainly do it if no one else will.

Update: More on shaping the battlespace here. John's "endstate" is accurate in terms of a combat phase - but the ultimate endstate is post-combat, when that international community (UN? Syria/Iran?) rebuilds. That's assuming Israel 1) does intend to eliminate Hezbollah as a force in the region and isn't simply "sending a message" (and as noted above they are operating under an as-yet undetermined time limit here) and 2) doesn't plan on a decades-long occupation of southern Lebanon, a prospect which is only unreasonable if enough nations are willing to take advantage of a real opportunity to secure Lebanon. There is a fragile opportunity here for Lebanon's (and the wider region's) future. I imagine there is an endstate that is agreeable to Israel and Lebanon, and in the best interest of the world. Hopefully it won't be used as a bargaining chip for other issues involving Syria and Iran, who will do their best to obstruct any efforts towards that goal.

Yes, there's also the "total war" possibility, involving years of combat throughout the region, that many think inevitable or even desirable. (Choose your reason. On the right: "Time to kill them all and let God sort them out", on the left: "This proves Bush's foreign policy is a failure", and from the media: "Wow, this stuff sells newspapers!!!!") But we ain't there yet.


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Posted by Greyhawk / July 17, 2006 8:28 AM | Permalink

3 TrackBacks

OPFOR observes that Israel is preparing the battlespace for a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. One of his readers concurs: I am a faculty member with the US Army Command... Read More

As I've said many times before, I'm no military strategist. So exactly when/how/if Israel will strike Iran escapes me. Though I have zero doubt that the nanosecond the nuclear threat materializes, Nena's 1983/84 hit will resonate. The Mudville Gazette ... Read More

The million dollar question this morning seems to be just what was hit yesterday by Israelis when they attacked a site in Beirut. The Israelis claim it was a Hizbullah bunker where the Islamic terrorists' top leaders were hunkering down. Read More

43 Comments

Since when is it okay for Israel to destroy Beirut?

Since Lebanon allowed Hezbollah to attempt to destroy Israel. If you can't keep your dog out of my hen house, then your dog is gonna end up dead. Don't come crying when your dog dies for something you wouldn't stop him from doing.

Subsunk

I think the United States should loosen its ties with Israel and take a far more neutral stance in the Middle East. We are in Iraq at the beheast of Big Oil and of neocons with dual loyalties (at best). This is intolerable.

WhiskeyWhiskey;
Wtf is a Neocon?

How can we be neutral, in the Mideast, when the local inhabitants who follow a religion based in Mecca, want us dead, too?

Are you afraid of the Middle Easterners? Or just what they might think of us? They already want us dead..

By the way, folks in Europe thought Bill Clinton was quite the hawk.

"Neocon" is short for "neoconservative."

http://tinyurl.com/fasns

It doesn't really matter what someone thinks. I want the guy across the street who plays his stereo too loud dead, too. If I cause him to die, that's a problem. Iraq never initiated hostilities against the United States. We had no cause for this war.

If the Euros thought Clinton was a hawk, well, they get to think so. I dare say that ol' Billy was a hell of a lot more popular there than your Liar-in-Chief.

If hizballah is for an open war why are they hiding?

WW, if I were young enough, I would get out of the Corps and see about joining the IDF. They're right and Syria and Iran are wrong. In fact I don't know why we haven't gone up to Sulaimaniya and taken a hard right.

Mike, it's too bad that you are loyal to a foreign country. Perhaps you should renounce your citizenship and leave.

Oh, and Mike, is this what you lust after?

http://tinyurl.com/mje68

Or is it this?

http://tinyurl.com/oj2m2

Why would the Lebanese Army go south to help the people that are bombing them back to the stone age? They won't! Israel is indiscriminately bombing Beirut, killing civilians, and destroying infrastructure. If anything, Hezbollah will get stronger from this. All Israel is succeeding in doing is creating a million more enemies.

PoliticalCritic, I agree with you. Beyond that, regardless of the rights and wrongs of Israel v Hezbollah, I don't see why the U.S. needs to be drawn into Israel's battles. We need to have neutral policy in the Mideast. If Israel wants to sow the wind, let them reap the whirlwind.

Some whirlwind. I think it is heading north, actually.

And without any help from those nefarious evildoers know as:

T H E N E O C O N S

Pardon me while I cheerlead for the Jooooos.

Subsunk

Subsunk, there's one problem with your analogy... if the dog is Hezbollah, then you're killing the dog's owner (Beirut) as well as the dog, for the dog's crime.

Israel is playing with fire.

"Subsunk, there's one problem with your analogy... if the dog is Hezbollah, then you're killing the dog's owner (Beirut) as well as the dog, for the dog's crime."

Posted by malclave at July 20, 2006 03:31 AM

"Israel is playing with fire."

Posted by WW at July 20, 2006 07:52 AM

malclave,

Actually, I would be blowing up the dog's house. South Beirut isn't all of Beirut. Just the selected parts of Lebanon that believe it is OK to kill Israelis with impunity. But Allah will have revenge if the hair or sensibilities of a single Muslim is harmed. Color me unimpressed. Lebanon claims 300 civilians have been killed. I'm positive some of them were civilians. But I'm also positive that most of them were related to Hezbollalaland's terrorist activities. You don't bombard South Lebanon for 9 days and only kill 5 Hezbollah terrorists. I could swing a dead cat in a circle and kill more of them there.

If Hezbollaha can't take the heat, they should have stayed out of the Israeli kitchen. If Israel is playing with fire, then I wonder how Hezbollala feels right now.

Crispy, I'd say.

Subsunk

Everytime I see WW use the phrase "Liar-in-Chief", I am reminded of a nephew's tendency to call anyone who disagreed with him "poopy head".

Of course, he was only 3 years old at the time and eventually grew up and stopped using that phrase.

WW, I know that you think "Liar-in-Chief" is an incredibly clever thing to say because you use if ever chance that you get, but it is on par with "poopy head" and kills any credibility you are trying to claim that you have.

Unless, of course, you ARE three years old.

OV, if I could get you to spend that much time on it, I'd say my use of the accurate term "Liar-in-Chief" to describe your president (I don't consider him mine) had its intended effect. But if you insist, just this once I will call him Idiot-in-Chief. Happy now?

Subsunk, I don't disagree with your sentiment... just with the analogy.

WW, I for one am happy at your change. With a change of vocabulary, you have revealed that at some distant point in the future, you may be ready for potty training. You should be proud that you have demonstrated to the world that you are an Idiot... and not just this once.

So we can also cross reading comprehension off WW's list of skills.

malclave,

Then I understand your point and agree that there are degrees of concern and degrees of retribution amongst the thoughts of a great many people. Thank you for pointing out the weakness or possible weakness in my logic. I value your input.

Subsunk

'Liar-in-Chief' is name calling, but it is also a very true statement.

If you can sit there with a straight face and honestly tell me that George Bush doesn't lie over and over again, then you are a better man than me.

I didn't think any President could lie more than Bill Clinton, but GWB has proven me wrong.

How to Lose A War, Part I

http://w3t.org/u/vnz

Excerpt:

The very setup of the U.S. presence in Iraq undercut the mission. The chain of command was hazy, with no one individual in charge of the overall American effort in Iraq, a structure that led to frequent clashes between military and civilian officials.

On May 16, 2003, L. Paul Bremer III, the chief of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S.-run occupation agency, had issued his first order, "De-Baathification of Iraq Society." The CIA station chief in Baghdad had argued vehemently against the radical move, contending that, "By nightfall, you'll have driven 30,000 to 50,000 Baathists underground. And in six months, you'll really regret this." ...

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld at first was dismissive of the looting that followed the U.S. arrival, and then for months refused to recognize that an insurgency was breaking out there. A reporter pressed him one day that summer: Aren't you facing a guerrilla war?

"I guess the reason I don't use the phrase 'guerrilla war' is because there isn't one," Rumsfeld responded.

A few weeks later, Army Gen. John P. Abizaid succeeded Gen. Tommy R. Franks as the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East. He used his first news conference as commander to clear up the strategic confusion about what was happening in Iraq. Opponents of the U.S. presence were conducting "a classical guerrilla-style campaign," he said. "It's a war, however you describe it."

Oops!

'Liar-in-Chief' is name calling, but it is also a very true statement.

************************************************

And doesn't it say something about an individual's ability (lack thereof) to effectively argue a point if - in virtually every post and sometimes multiple times in the same post - s/he has to resort to name calling?

The veracity of various politicians is certainly a reasonable topic of discussion. I personally have little faith in the veracity of any politician - although I think Clinton probably exceeded Bush simply because Clinton believed his own lies to be truth - but I don't need to argue that issue in EVERY subject discussed.

If I could do no better than name calling and mindless repetition of ancient articles, I wouldn't expect to be taken seriously either.

The worst part of it is that it kills the overall credibility of dissent. I can read the articles posted (and usually have long ago). It serves no purpose to see them repeated again and again and again.

What I would like to see is ORIGINAL commentary from those with an opposing view and a recognition that even a broken clock is right twice a day. Someone who cannot see that others are not ALL bad ALL the time is not looking at the issue objectively - s/he's simply spitting back what they think that they have been told to say.


Let's face it, Ohio Voter, you're a knee-jerk bushbot. In my case, I started out as a supporter of the Iraq War. I changed my mind after the revelations about the lack of WMD and the policy of torturing enemy combatants and civilians. The wingnut fringe has never changed its collective mind about a single thing.

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about, PoliticalCritic.

Instead of an ORIGINAL thought, we get ...

Name Calling? Check

ALL people wrong ALL of the time? Check

Add a ancient news article and it would have been the perfect example of my point.

Ohio Voter, I don't think it's unoriginal to call you a robot.

p.s.: Hey robot, is this too "ancient" for you?

http://tinyurl.com/nb5j

Robots are machines trained to do the same thing over and over and over again.

Anyone else here note someone doing the same thing over and over again?

How about it Willy? Do you ever do anything but criticize that for which you have no fix? Do you ever place a comment without listing or implying Bush is a liar and the cause as lost? Do you ever admit that our enemies don't care whether we are in Iraq or not, they intend to find a way to strike at America, and will come all the way to America to do so? That there is nothing, nothing, nothing we can do to stop them except submit to Islam, cover our women because these fools can't control their own sexual urges and blame women for looking too good to resist, and allow their imams to dictate what we can and cannot do with our own families, money, and property?

You don't think this war has helped limit the spread of Islamic fascism one bit. You don't think Islamic hatred has you, specifically, in its crosshairs. You think the war has strengthened the width and depth of hatred which already existed in the Islamic world despite our charity, our previous neutrality, and the fact that the one and only foreign policy Islamists continually object to is our support for Israel and the need to keep 6 million Israelis from being exterminated (again) by radical idiots who think they are Hitler's children.

You know, we get all that. We get what you think. We just aren't going to agree with you that cowardice and weakness in the face of the enemy and that rolling over and dying to suit them is the action that should be taken. They keep sending warnings about how bad we are and how they will conquer us. Those who disagree with you aren't going to let your surrender influence how we oppose them.

We are going to fight them, every way, every time. And if you get in the way of it, we will fight you too. Because you insist on tying the hands of our military in our defense, we are going to view you as disloyal, dishonest, and demented. And we are going to say so, every time you do it. We are going to teach our children that you are just as bad as our enemies because you support them. Because, as long as you oppose our right to Life, and support their right to exterminate us and other innocents, then you, you specifically, are part of the problem. I question your patriotism. I question your sanity. And I question your intelligence.

But I'd never call you a liar because you oppose the war. Stupid, yes. Liar, no.

I don't care what names you use to denigrate us. We oppose you. We think you are stupid, misguided, and even evil. Say what you want. Every time you open your mouth you confirm that there is nothing more important to you than seeing Dhimmicrats win elections in our country so that you can implement what strategy to defend us? Retreat from Islamic aggression. Defeat on the field of battle. Surrender to evil tyrannical men who love the Death of infidels more than the Life of their own children and prosperity for their own families. Power for your side over your fellow Americans without thought or reason what you would do with that power, except to ensure that Rethuglicans and George W Bush are crushed forever and his name is obliterated from history because you hate what he and they do so much.

You are demented and crazed beyond reason at the course pursued in our defense and you will do everything and anything in your power to see advances against terrorists dismantled because they were accomplished by a Rethuglican.

That makes you an enemy sympathizer. That makes you part of the problem. That makes you a Defender of Evil.

Pontificate on where they agree with you, boy. We don't listen to you. We won't change. We won't quit. We won't surrender. And we won't bend over and take it from Islamic crazies and their sympathizers here.

Subsunk

"Let's face it, Ohio Voter, you're a knee-jerk bushbot. In my case, I started out as a supporter of the Iraq War. I changed my mind after the revelations about the lack of WMD and the policy of torturing enemy combatants and civilians. The wingnut fringe has never changed its collective mind about a single thing."

Posted by WW at July 23, 2006 06:15 AM

And discovery of over 500 WMD shells in Iraq has never changed Willy's mind. So who has never changed its [his] collective mind about a single thing? Bush has always been bad, and Rethuglicans (who are their American brethren and neighbors) are engaged in a Constitutional power grab unprecendented in history.

We used to think Dhimmicrats were patriots. Now we see they are just political opportunists who have their own best interests placed firmly above the safety and security of the American people. And they will do anything and everything to gain that power.

Just like the petty despots of history, Dhimmicrats will promise anything to get the power they need to do whatever they want. They will stack the courts with their appointees to take away our rights to our own property, they will force their views and values on those of us who don't wish to be told how we must worship, feel, and think in our own homes. And they will take over the press and schools of our country to make sure their brand of ideology and history is preached to our children, just like the Communists did when they indoctrinated kids to spy on their parents and turn them in for disloyal thoughts, and doubts about what their government was doing and where it was headed.

The only difference so far, is that Dhimmicrats don't have the police powers to arrest Rethuglicans in our homes for not giving enough to the State, for thinking that those who support our enemies are dishonest and disloyal to America, and for failure to support their power grabs. They paint us as evil, greedy, oppressive, vote stealing thugs who only want to enslave them, but who can point to no specific instance (not a single one) where their civil liberties were violated, or any harm whatsoever befell them because of some imagined abridgement of their rights.

Watch what they do when elected. Listen to what they say they intend to do once elected. They insist on prosecution of Bush for war crimes. They insist on investigation of any Republican in elected office who supported Bush, to advance their own unique and absolute brand of power over us. They insist on forcing their agenda, whatever it is, on Americans who disagree with it by calling us fascist, thugs, liars, cheats, and fags (I like it when the supposed party of the big tent calls us the very names they claim are the specific language Rethuglicans use to discriminate against gays -- nice touch guys, your mask is slipping)

I pray that Dhimmicrats will go the route of those despots before long. Into history's trash heap. To be replaced by Democrats who believe in the safety of Americans and America first over their own party politics. Those are Democrats we Rethuglicans and Bushbots could support.

Subsunk
Head nutscratching Bushbot, and drunk Rethuglican Supporter-in-Chief, Gay Rethuglican Cowboy, single digit IQ nefarious consumer of military history, who drives around in the dark without windows in his submarine, picking up loose and lascivious mermaids for sport, and laughing at Dhimmicrats who think they are better, smarter, prettier, than the rest of us. Because, its all about the power, doncha' know?

Sorry, subby, but:

1. Bush IS a liar.

2. The cause IS lost. It was lost the day the U.S. decided to torture people. Torture is for losers.

3. You and the rest of the so-called milbloggers DO hate every single thing this country has ever stood for.

4. You WILL blame the defeat on someone else.

All of which means ...

5. You ARE robots.

and by the way ...

Israel Invasion of Lebanon: A Disaster for Israel

This move is going to wind up strengthening Hezbollah. Maybe Israel shouldn't have spent the last five years trying to block a peace settlement at every turn. Do they really think we can, or will, rescue them now?

http://tinyurl.com/zsv26

Excerpt:

Some of DEBKAfile’s military experts fear the Israeli government may be falling into the Bush administration’s disastrous error of allocating too few troops to the Iraq war for attaining its goals. ...

Nasrallah has already struck the pose of victor and is dictating terms. Monday, July 24, he handed the Lebanese government a list of the prisoners in Israeli jails whom he wants released as the price for returning the kidnapped Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. He has not budged an inch from his initial demand for their release: indirect negotiations for a prisoner swap.

The Israeli prime minister, who has switched his war objectives several times, is heading for a course that may at best restore the three abducted Israeli solders, Gilead Shalit in Hamas’ hands, as well as Goldwasser and Regev. But this course will not rescue northern Israel and a third of the country from the nightmare of rockets falling night and day and destroying their lives or the Palestinian Qassam missiles from Gaza making life intolerable for Israel’s south.

Good God, can you believe that Israel actually did something this stupid? Bush, that I can believe. The man is little more than a drunken, exposed nerve ending. But the Israelis? Holy cow.

And if you actually needed evidence, check this out. Lebanon has rejected Condoleeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzaaaaaah's "cease-fire." And Israel is showing every sign of wanting one. Okey-dokey.

http://tinyurl.com/nosvb

WW, I can't respond to your comments because - well - while I speak passable "Spanish", can read "Portuguese" and some "Italian", and recognize words in "French" and even "Klingon", I don't read "Incoherent" - which is the language of your posts.

I'm finding it very amusing your use of the word "tiny" in the URL you post repeatedly, however.

I suspect that the use of that word is highly significant in your case.

Ohio Voter, I'm sorry you can't read. You realize, of course, that this is one more bit of evidence that you're a raving bushbot. Your Liar-in-Chief can't read, either. So who reads the Internet to you? Your mom?

Missed the point again I see ....

My mother is dead. Thanks for your concern.

Ain't my fault that ma kicked the bucket. So who reads the postings to you, since you can't?

Time for an update on what you've posted:

Name-calling? Check (and getting progressively more immature)

Every one who you think disagrees with you (whether they actually do or not) is ALWAYS wrong ALL the time? Check

Racist and sexist? You pretended to call a female African-American PhD. as if she were a pig - Check and Check

Inabilitly to read and comprehend what is written to you? Check, check, check, etc. etc.

As I said originally (and a long, long time ago), I will gladly engage anyone with an original thought or idea in discussion regardless if we are in agreement or not.

I'm still waiting on you to do that, WW.

So far, all you have provided is some evidence that you can GOOGLE individual words and know how to cut and paste the result.

Try reading the articles you find once in awhile.

Now, I have a bet on which insult is coming from you next. I'm sure that you won't disappoint me.

Calling Condoleeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzaaah as if she's a pig had not occurred to me. But it's not a bad idea given that she's been the spokesman for war. Pig? Yeah, it fits.

Israel Invasion of Lebanon: A Disaster for Israel

"This move is going to wind up strengthening Hezbollah. Maybe Israel shouldn't have spent the last five years trying to block a peace settlement at every turn. Do they really think we can, or will, rescue them now?"

Posted by WW at July 24, 2006 09:58 PM

Again Willy, if what is happening now to Hezbollah is certain defeat for Israel and a tactical victory for Hezbollalaland, then Hez better start losing pretty quickly. Because winning is just killing them.

Subsunk

OhioVoter,

He's demented. We only play with him like we play with worms that wriggle out of the ground. He's only good for squirming around and being trampled underfoot, until we put him on the hook to catch supper.

Willy is lower than the lowest whale turd at the bottom of the ocean. Having communed with the whales, I know that even they are surprised that his excrement found the light of day. But it still stinks and no one wants it.

Have a nice day.

Subsunk

Subby, you'd better lay off the vodka. You're slurring your words again.

OhioVoter,

He's demented. We only play with him like we play with worms that wriggle out of the ground. He's only good for squirming around and being trampled underfoot, until we put him on the hook to catch supper.
************************************************

Yeah, I caught on a long time ago that WW wasn't capable of more than robotically repeating the opinions of others.

But it was also apparent that he would be easy to manipulate - and he's certainly proven that true.


Ohiovoter:
Touche! LOL


FU&WW god what a pair, "Snak Eyes" Question
do eather of you have a life,if so it ain't
much of one and FU Just when did you return
from south lebanon or do you have eyes on the
ground for your information??? by the way I
do belive Che is still dead and if you are
interested I can get you a T-Shirt with his
photo on it,but unlike the rest it has a
large hole between the eyes and a small trickle
of blood running down his face,care for one??
come to think of it you and dub dub are a good
reason to bring back wire coat hangers!!

"subsunk-
hezbollah is a geurilla group. study the history of past groups led by che guevara and you will understand that it is not only possible but almost definite that hezbollah members are hidden and NOT among the civilians bombed in south lebanon. It is not an ezaggeration that the nearly 500 people killed were almost all civilians. just accept that truth without trying to deny it to yourself in your subconcious disbelief that your dear israel and United states would actually intentionally kill innocent civilians. honey wake up, they would. and sorry but ran would do it to US civilians in a second if provoked..and you might be next. so put down that can of budweiser and preserve the last 2 braincells you may have left."

Posted by fuckyou at July 26, 2006 09:58 PM

Riiigggghhhhtttt. Thanks for the deep thinking history lesson. And I'm the one drinking?

Hezbollah is a guerilla group and thus immune to bombing, shooting, and is invisible to boot. They're invincible! The Israelis might as well give up right now. They are doomed, I say, doomed.

Regarding the impending Israeli defeat I quote Sir Winston Churchill: Some chicken, some neck.

Of course the claimed 300 (not 500) civilians killed in Lebanon were all total innocents and not one single one was a Hezbollalaland groupie. This is all according to --- Hezbollah! and the Lebanese Prime Minister, who never met a Hez he couldn't shake hands with and embrace. Of course they were found in Hezbollalaland's section of South Lebanon and Beirut. But we'll have to take Hezbollah's word that they were innocent.

Sorry, I don't believe news opinions which comes from only one side or one source (that includes Fox). I'll take the facts, please and make my own observations.

Fact: "the news" says 300 people were killed in Israeli's bombing runs. "The news" says all of them were women and children and old men. Statistically this is impossible unless all the military age men beamed out of Beirut to the planet Hezbollala.

Fact: Hezbollah fired first, killing 8 Israelis, wounding 3, and kidnapping 2 soldiers INSIDE Israel. My observation: only the brain dead would act surprised when they get bombed after committing such an act.

Fact: Hezbollah acknowledges and brags that they are firing rockets at Israeli cities and intend to strike fear into the hearts of Israelis with these actions. Israel says over 1400 rockets have landed in Israel to date killing something like 15-20 civilians and wounding over a hundred or so. That matches with claims to rain fire on Israel and increase the attacks by Hassan Nasrallah. My observation: Hezbollah is a bunch of cowardly terrorists who try to kill civilians without regard to bad press reports. They think this is absolutely justified because their religion says it is OK to kill infidels. Israel takes great pains, just like the US, has a specific process to make sure they are not firing indiscriminately into civilians, although they recognize that civilians are nearby and may get hurt, and tries not to hit innocents. That makes them the good guys. The press castigates them for killing innocent people by accident who are living amongst and supporting Hezbollah, but the press refuses to say the same thing about Hezbollah. That makes the Israeli's saints with the patience of Job.

Drink all the Hezbollah flavored KoolAid you like, whatever your name is. Don't come running when the next terrorist wants to remove your head from your neck. Just call for a newspaperman to save you. You obviously think they know more than I do anyway. Maybe he'll take a photo and make sure he spells your name correctly. For the obituaries.

As for Iran, glad to see you agree they are a problem. What's it take to keep from provoking them? Must I bend over the table and pull my pants down? Once again, "the news" says their Prime Minister Imanutjob threatens me and my country with physical bodily harm if I so much as sneeze around him. So how does one keep from "provoking" an Iranian nutcase? Stop breathing, perhaps?

My solution to Imanutjob calls for massive amounts of bombing them and shooting up their armed forces, again and again until they are all dead, if necessary. My country's current course of action is to talk the head case to death while he supplies weapons and equipment to Hezbollalaland. Your solution calls for --- what?

Feel free to expound, explain, and extract your head from your rectum with an explanation.

Subsunk

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November 18, 2009


Dawn Patrol 11/18/2009
[Mrs Greyhawk]
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Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and various sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.Refresh for updates.


Support Our Troops, Read Their Stories

----------------------------

AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN

Boondoggle -- [3rd Time, New Country - in Afghanistan]
I know I am a little late on posting to my blog, but I returned from a boondoggle out to Mazar-e-Sharif in the Northern provinces. I even have some pictures to post with this entry. First, let me recap last week. We did make a normal trip to NDS. It was actually a clear, cool morning which is a rarity here in Kabul. The pollution is so thick that it is very rare to see the distant mountains. So, here is a picture of the snow-capped mountains, west of Kabul. This picture was taken last Monday. I haven't seen the mountains since. Other than that, it was a normal week of mentoring. There are always little things to work on and improve in the OT. Friday was another violent day here in Kabul. The Taliban used a SVBIED outside Camp Phoenix a little before 0800. There were no American casualties, but there were injuries.

Clinton in Kabul for Karzai's inauguration -- [Foreign Policy - AfPak]
U.S. President Barack Obama reportedly told CNN today that he is "very close" to making a decision about whether to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and plans to make an announcement "in the next several weeks," after more than two months of deliberations (Reuters, Reuters). Obama is reportedly angry about the stream of leaks that has come out about his Afghanistan decision, telling CBS, "For people to be releasing info in the course of deliberations is not appropriate" and said yes when asked if that is a "firing offense" (CBS, Politico). Meanwhile

The war of leaks -- [Foreign Policy - AfPak]
The Obama Administration's social media prowess has been a novelty among latter day political media machines. It helped to crowd-source the campaign funding needed to put Barack Obama in the White House, and generated a populist gloss that was, at the time, convincingly fresh and transparent. What was equally admirable was its apparent internal discipline over when information made the transition from government secret to press release. Controlling the flow of data and keeping secrets secret is a challenge under any circumstance. Combine that with a predilection for Facebook and Twitter, and a hyperactive security officer might expect policy waters to muddy more quickly than they would under normal circumstances.
So when U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry's expressed his "discomfort" last week over a possible troop surge, via diplomatic cable to Washington, it's no wonder that the message ended up dominating headlines.

Ridding Afghanistan of Corruption Will Be No Easy Task -- [Los Angeles Times]
Afghans have a name for the huge, gaudy mansions that have sprung up in Kabul's wealthy Sherpur neighborhood since 2001. They call them "poppy palaces." The cost of building one of these homes, which are adorned with sweeping terraces and ornate columns, can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many are owned by government officials whose formal salaries are a few hundred dollars a month. To the capital's jaded residents, there are few more potent symbols of the corruption that permeates every level of Afghan society, from the traffic policemen who shake down motorists to top government officials and their relatives who are implicated in the opium trade.

Afghan Minister Accused of Taking Bribe -- [Washington Post]
The Afghan minister of mines accepted a roughly $30 million bribe to award the country's largest development project to a Chinese mining firm, according to a US official who is familiar with military intelligence reports. The allegation, if proved true, would mark one of the most brazen examples of corruption yet disclosed in a country where the problem has become so pervasive that it is now at the heart of Obama administration doubts over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's reliability as a partner.

Vision for Victory, Part I -- [Washington Times]
The news from Afghanistan all year has been dispiriting, and the last few weeks have been especially tough in terms of the violence. Yet most foreign and Afghan officials and officers who I encountered on a recent weeklong visit sponsored by the U. military are guardedly optimistic about our prospects. How can this be so?

U.S. Turns to Local Guns-for-Hire to Guard Afghan Outpost -- [Danger Room - Noah Shachtman]
The U.S. military is turning to guns-for-hire to guard one of its outposts in Afghanistan. But Blackwaters of the world, take note: simply hiring former G.I.s or American cops or even Nepalese Gurkhas won't do the trick this time. At least half of the 50-man force has to come "from within a 50 kilometer radius" of the base, according to a contract solicitation issued by the U.S. Air Force. Over the summer, the American military signaled its interest in hiring an army of contractors to help handle security at as many as 50 outposts in Afghanistan. It's one of several efforts efforts designed to free up uniformed troops for combat and counterinsurgency work. Now, U.S. forces appear to be taking the first step towards building that country-wide private security force, by soliciting bids for a team that watch over Forward Operating Base Lightening, in Paktya province.

NATO Chief Confident Afghanistan Will Have More Troops -- [Voice of America]
The NATO secretary-general says he is confident the United States and other NATO allies will send more troops to Afghanistan, where insurgent attacks have surged in recent months. He spoke at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Meeting in Edinburgh, where Britain's foreign secretary outlined the strategy his nation would support.

Germany to extend Afghanistan mission another year -- [AP]
Germany will extend its mission in Afghanistan for another year, the government said Wednesday, despite the growing unpopularity of the war at home



Pakistani Successes May Sway US Troop Decision -- [New York Times]
A month after the Pakistani military began its push into the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan, militants appear to have been dispersed, not eliminated, with most simply fleeing. That recurring pattern illustrated the problems facing the Obama administration as it enters its final days of a decision on its strategy for Afghanistan. Success in this region, in the remote mountains near the Afghan border, could have a direct bearing on how many more American troops are ultimately sent to Afghanistan, and how long they must stay. Pakistan has shown increased willingness to tackle the problem, launching sweeping operations in the north and west of the country this year, but

Where are Taliban and al Qaeda commanders, US media asks Pak -- [Daily News & Analysis]
Washington: A day after senior Pakistani army commanders claimed that their forces have captured all major towns and population centres of the extremist-ridden South Waziristan, Taliban and foreign militants appear to have disappeared and not been eliminated.

Pakistani Army Shows Off Captured Taliban Posts -- [Washington Post]
A toy car booby-trapped with explosives, chemistry textbooks and handwritten case files from a Taliban court were among the debris left behind by fleeing Islamist militants in this remote village in the conflicted tribal region of South Waziristan. The now-deserted village, which was retaken by Pakistani army forces two weeks ago and visited by Western journalists on Tuesday for the first time since, had been a stronghold of Taliban forces for nearly five years.


IRAQ

Iraqi Kurds Warn of Election Boycott in Dispute Over Seats - [Washington Post]
Kurdish officials threatened Tuesday to boycott the upcoming national election in the three provinces they control in northern Iraq unless more parliament seats are allocated to the region. The threat came two days after Iraq's Sunni vice president said he would veto the election law passed last week unless more seats are set aside for representatives of Iraqi refugees. The majority of Iraqis abroad are Sunni. Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi has until Wednesday to veto the law, which legislators approved after weeks of wrangling, primarily over how the vote would be held in the disputed northern city of Kirkuk. The two ultimatums underscored the deep divisions among Iraqi politicians and raised fresh concerns about Iraq's ability to hold a credible election by Jan. 18.

Iraq's national elections in jeopardy as Sunni VP issues veto
-- [McClatchy News]
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's pivotal national elections were thrown back into turmoil and potential delay Wednesday after Vice President Tariq al Hashemi vetoed part of an election law and sent it back to parliament.

US has time to reconsider Iraq drawdown plan-Odierno -- [Reuters]
The US military does not have to decide until April or May whether to push back the end of its combat operations in Iraq due to...

A few words from medics for the 41st Brigade -- [The Oregonian]
I spent an hour or two last month with Oregon National Guard medics who are based at Al Asad Airbase, discussing a little of what they've observed since coming to Iraq this summer. The discussion, as you might think, covered issues in two categories: The physical and the mental. The Physical - CPT Scott Johnson of Newport, who is the highest-ranking soldier in the medical support unit at Al Asad, said that medics are seeing a significant share of orthopedic issues that stem from the heavy loads that soldiers carry. Even though the war has wound down considerably over the last few years, soldiers on convoys and at checkpoints still wear a lot of body armor and carry a lot of ammunition and weaponry, as much as 65 pounds or even more. Over time, even young soldiers experience increased stress on their joints from walking, running and jumping with that much gear.

Goodbye to Iraq, and thanks -- [The Oregonian]
The soldiers of Oregon's 41st Brigade are about halfway through their Iraq deployment, but I'm finally home after a gruelling passage through Kuwait and a misadventure or two. I said goodbye to my last acquaintance in the Oregon National Guard on Monday afternoon in Salt Lake City. SSG Tom McNeil of Central Point was peeling off to fly to Medford, close to his home in Central Point, while I continued on to Portland. Have a terrific Thanksgiving at home, Tom. Thanks to all the folks along the way, especially the soldiers of Oregon's 41st Brigade Combat Team, for the many kindnesses extended to me during my sojourn among them. This toast to you, and I'm starting with you two, since you challenged me to do this, Scott and Mike


U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

US, China in Strained Diplomatic Embrace -- [Wall Street Journal]
President Barack Obama was set to leave China on Wednesday after an awkward summit with some achievements but a long list of unfinished business - a result that suggests challenges ahead for the US as it struggles to come to terms with Asia's increasingly assertive superpower. The president secured a far-ranging framework for cooperation Tuesday with Beijing. But that deal was announced as frictions between the two nations appeared to increase over human rights and economic policy. President Obama and Chinese leader Hu Jintao issued their ambitious statement on cooperation in a clumsy fashion - at a media "availability" where they took no questions, didn't address each other and exhibited body language that seemed to say they had been frustrated by the entire exercise.

Obama: 'We've restored America's standing' -- [CNN]
A little more than a year after his election, President Obama said his administration has laid the groundwork for success on global and domestic matters. -- "I think that we've restored America's standing in the world

Somali Pirates : Maersk Alabama Attacked, Fights Back -- [Eagle Speak]
On the early morning of 18 November 2009, 350 nautical miles east from the Somali coast, pirates attacked MV Maersk Alabama, a US flagged, Danish owned, 155 meter long, Container ship.

Iranian COS Warns Russia: Your Security Is Tied To Ours -- [Memri Blog]
Iranian Army chief of staff Hassan Firouzabadi has warned Russia that delay in the supply of S-300 missile systems could harm Russia because its security is tied to that of Iran.




WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Suspected Fort Hood Shooter Believed to Be Self-Radicalized -- [Wall Street Journal]
Some lawmakers briefed Tuesday on the Fort Hood shooting said the suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was most likely a self-radicalized extremist. The briefing for select members of Congress came as Republicans with oversight of national-security issues called on Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to open a full congressional inquiry into alleged government miscues in the case of Maj. Hasan. He is charged with murdering 13 people Nov. 5 on the sprawling US Army base where he served as a psychiatrist.

Guantánamo Won't Close by January, Obama Says -- [NY Times]
President Obama acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that his administration would miss a self-imposed deadline to close the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, by mid-January, admitting the difficulties of following through on one of his first pledges as president.


SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

No Man Left Behind -- [Knottie's Niche]
We've all heard the military quote "No Man left behind" But it wasn't until last weekend as I sat listening to a veteran Marine talking to an Army Sgt about how the Army helicopter pilot who saved him and many others in Vietnam by flying in a hot zone repeatedly to save men that it hit home. The words took on a whole new meaning to me. When Micheal was killed the Army did not leave us behind. It started with a visit to tell us the news and they did not leave until there was no more they could do for us in that moment. Then there was the email to let us know no one else had been hurt from one of the medics. The Army did not leave us behind when they assigned us a causality assistance officer who walked us through each step, even offering to go to the store for us at any hour of the day if we needed anything at all. Then the emails, calls and instant message conversations from the men who served with Micheal began.

LTC Tim Karcher Update -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Wonderful update on LTC Tim Karcher, Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, wounded June 28 in Sadr City.
4 weeks later, after fighting for his life in Iraq, here in Germany, and at Walter Reed, the loss of both legs was the least of his problems:

Support SA while Christmas shopping this year! -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Through Soldiers' Angels, patriotic Americans can do their Holiday shopping or planning and support the troops at the same time!
The easiest way to do this is shop online at all your favorite stores. If you stop by GoodShop and Shop to Earn before you start, you can visit all your favorite online stores, purchase anything you want at the usual great prices, and a portion of what you spend will be donated to Soldiers' Angels--at no extra cost to you! On GoodShop, be sure you select Soldiers' Angels as the charity you are "GoodShopping for."

Trees for Troops: Helping Military Families -- [AdAge.com]
Military families. Transportation. Tree growers. Logistics. These seemingly incongruous words provide a case study in cause marketing.

FOX 5 Special: I-Team VA Loans -- [FOX News]


A FOX 5 I-Team investigation uncovered allegations of a nationwide scheme by banks and mortgage companies to defraud U.S. military veterans. The scheme, spelled out in court documents, claims banks are overcharging veterans on home refinancing loans.
The question raised in a racketeering and class action law suit is how many of those loans involved banks defrauding U.S. military veterans.



MILITARY

Muslim discrimination in the U.S. military. Not. -- [Castra Praetoria]
I'm done listening to any more bellyaching about how Muslims have it bad in the American military. It's a lie.
At this very moment there are American Muslims serving in our armed forces with valor. Muslim interpreters work along side us daily who aren't even American citizens and they have proven themselves as well. All these pansies wailing and moaning about discrimination against them because they are Muslims are not doing anyone any favors. Take it from a guy who has served along side Muslim Marines and Sailors in combat; worked with Jordanian and Iraqi interpreters in country; trained with Iraqi-Americans who have contributed to the effort by working as role players and training our troops in culture and language classes.

Time to revisit firearms policies on military posts -- [Atlanta Journal Constitution]
Just as legitimate questions were raised following the mass killings on the Virginia Tech campus in 2007, both military personnel and civilian citizens

Army's Record Suicide Rate 'Horrible,' General Says -- [Washington Post]
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli on Tuesday called the Army's record suicide rate this year "horrible" and said the problem of soldiers taking their own lives is the toughest he has faced in his 37 years in service. As of Nov. 16, 140 soldiers on active duty and 71 soldiers not on active duty were suspected to have committed suicide. "We are almost certainly going to end the year higher than last year,"




WELCOME HOME

Veterans' descendants welcome troops home to Fort Campbell -- [Clarksville Leaf Chronicle]
Their day concluded with the Welcome Home ceremony for 80 soldiers who returned from a year in Afghanistan. "We are descendants of our country's first

'Greywolf' Among First CAV Troops to Return Home -- [DVIDS]
Once the buses arrived at Cooper Field, chants of "move that bus" were heard from Families waiting to welcome home their Soldiers. Tommy Tatum, from Kempner


THE MEDIA

Where are Taliban and al Qaeda commanders, US media asks Pak -- [Daily News & Analysis]
Washington: A day after senior Pakistani army commanders claimed that their forces have captured all major towns and population centres of the extremist-ridden South Waziristan, Taliban and foreign militants appear to have disappeared and not been eliminated.

Army officials said that they have killed as many as 550 Taliban militants a month after the military began its campaign into the lawless territory, yet they acknowledge that hundreds, perhaps thousands more have melted away.
As the offensive into the area, considered to be a sanctuary of al Qaeda and Taliban militants gained momentum, Boston Globe said, "Vast numbers of Taliban and foreign terrorists had disappeared into the vast desert scrub and craggy hills surrounding their strongholds of Sararogha and Ladha".
"Where are they? That's what bothers me," New York Times quoted a senior American intelligence officer as saying.




POLITICS

Republicans Criticize Obama's Call to Delay Hill Inquiries on Fort Hood -- [Washington Post]
The Obama administration's request that congressional committees slow their investigations of the Fort Hood shootings sparked denunciations Tuesday from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who pushed for an immediate inquiry of any warning signs before the massacre. House and Senate Republicans, emerging from the most detailed briefings given to Congress since the Nov. 5 attack killed 13 at the central Texas Army post, said delaying investigations would put off legislative efforts to give military officials the tools to prevent similar tragedies in the future. They said such an effort would not interfere with the criminal investigation of shooting suspect Nidal M. Hasan, an Army major who was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan.


Obama Approval Dips Below 50% For First Time
-- [Quinnipiac University]
Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For U.S. Troops In Afghanistan Drops Below 50% -- President Barack Obama's job approval rating is 48 - 42 percent, the first time he has slipped below the 50 percent threshold nationally ...


HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day



(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)



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