IRAQ

First Iraqi Comedy in Wasit since 2003 -- [MNF-I]
Actors from the popular Iraqi sitcom, “Mud House,” performed the first comedic play May 4 in Wasit Province since 2003.
“People and People” conveyed Iraqi life from a comedic perspective to entertain the Wasit audience and give them hope and optimism for the future, as described by the actors, An’am al-Rubay’ai, Ali Dakhil and Majid Yasin.
Fifteen hundred people filled the Municipality Hall in al-Kut to see the play, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State in coordination with the 214th Fires Brigade and the Iraqi Police.

Peaceful interaction between US Troops on patrol and Iraqi Civilians

Holy shit...This sorta thing really happens...You mean when we arent getting blown up, and sniped out we are trying to solve everyday Iraqi citizens problems and interacting with the local population, to include the children in an effort to to win the hearts and minds. Thats just plain crazy huh

4th Bde Establishes School -- [Blog-ah]
BAQUBAH, Iraq – As the situation in Diyala continues to improve, the mission is changing from clearing the province of al-Qaida in Iraq, to ensuring it remains secure and free of criminal elements. The improved security has allowed the Iraqi police to focus on other issues. One of the larger issues the force is addressing is the training of newly hired policemen that have not received the schooling required by the Ministry of Interior.
The solution to this training issue is a temporary academy that recently opened on Forward Operating Base Grizzly, near Ashraf, Iraq.

MND-B soldiers foil criminal rocket teams -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers engaged two criminal rocket teams and fended off an attack by armed criminals during night operations against in Baghdad May 8.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., MND-B soldiers monitoring an aerial surveillance system witnessed two Special Groups criminals gathering around a rocket rail that had been used for an indirect fire attack earlier in Sadr City.
The criminals then loaded two carts and pushed them down a street. An aerial weapons team was called in, engaged the individuals with one Hellfire missile and killed both criminals.

UAV Predator Fires A Missile At Five Insurgents in Iraq

UAV Predator Takes Out Five Insurgents In Iraq.

Too Short For This Shit -- [Iraq: The Purgatorium - in Iraq]
It was a whiz, a zooming, a whistling, kind of like a low flying jet. You know, until it exploded.
[Sgt DolphLundgren] locked eyes in a moment of idiotic disbelief, just as that adrenaline ice-water-in-the-face feeling took over. We were taking incoming. And close.
We stumbled out of his trailer and outside was complete insanity, everyone running in different directions. One of the impacts was DAMN close.

Criminals Killed After Indiscriminate Rocket Attack Against Iraqi Citizens

Footage of a Multi-National Division – Baghdad aerial weapons team that killed two criminals and wounded four who were hiding in a building in the Sadr City district of Baghdad at approximately 2 p.m. May 8, after the criminals had earlier launched a rocket attack.
The criminals launched an indiscriminant rocket attack at approximately 1:30 p.m. that killed two Iraqi citizens, injured eight more and damaged a house in central Baghdad.
An unmanned-aerial vehicle conducting a surveillance mission in the area of the point of origin observed the criminals moving rocket rails from the rocket site to an alley near a building. It then maintained positive identification as the criminals entered a building, where six criminals were observed on the rooftop. Provided by Multi-National Division Baghdad.
An aerial weapons team was dispatched to the area and engaged the criminals. The AWT fired three Hellfire missiles into the building, one at the first floor, one at the second floor and one at a shack on the roof, and killed and wounded the criminals.

I'M NOT ANTI-WAR -- [Trying to Grok]
Dragonfly found an interesting opinion piece called Anti-War Wounds. I don't relate to every opinion in the article, but it's well-written and makes a good point about "being the 'we.'" And about how it feels when people don't get that.
My husband fights this war. He risks his life every day. We have both made sacrifices for it. And to hear them say that it’s “a waste of time,” that it “will never make a difference,” that “we should call the whole thing off” — well, if that’s true, I’m not sure I’ll get out of bed tomorrow morning. There has to be a reason that our family — and thousands of others — are enduring this.
Yesterday someone called to say goodbye to my husband before he left, not knowing that he'd been bumped forward. And in the conversation, this person asked if my husband thinks that being in Iraq is worth it, if his job means anything, and if he thinks we should've gone there in the first place. How do you answer that question 1) politely and 2) succinctly? And then what do you do when that person says, "Well, I don't think it was the right idea in the first place"?

ISF detain criminal cell leader, three al-Qaeda in Iraq -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces detained a Special Groups cell leader and three al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists in two separate operations, May 8.
Iraqi Special Operations Forces conducted an operation in Baghdad and detained an al-Bayaa district Special Groups cell leader believed to be responsible for kidnapping operations and indirect fire attacks on Iraqi and Coalition forces. Two additional suspects were detained.

Numb -- [Kaboom - in Iraq]
The days bleed into nights and the nights bleed into days and there’s really no point in acknowledging the difference anymore. The sun just means we drink more water, the night just means we live in the green world of night vision rather than the grey world of day vision. Patrol. Eat. Sleep. Patrol. Go to meeting. Patrol. Eat. Make phone calls home and ignore the strain in their voices since they're doing the same. Patrol. Sleep. Get woken up in a panic, it’s time for a new and Fragolicious. Patrol.

Huge Firefight in Sadr City, Night.

US and Iraqi Special Operations Forces conduct a combat operation inside Sadr city, Baghdad

Iraq News (9 May) -- [LT Nixon - in Iraq]
The Good: 6 militia thugs have been killed in Sadr City after firing at US soldiers. You'd think these guys would change their behavioral patterns as every time they shoot, they usually get greeted with retaliatory fire from US ground forces or hellfires from the air. The cell that launched a mortar attack last afternoon in Baghdad that killed civilians met an non-triumphant end from 3 hellfires shortly after the launch. Colin Powell is backing the GI-Bill sponsored by Sen. Webb, which is a pretty high-level endorsement.

U.S. Soldiers Operating UAV Destroy Rocket Rail in Sadr City District of Baghdad

Footage of a Multi-National Division – Baghdad unmanned aerial vehicle that destroyed two rocket rails in the Sadr City district of Baghdad on May 6.
MND-B Soldiers operating an unmanned aerial vehicle launched a hellfire missile and destroyed two rocket rails in the Sadr City district of Baghdad that had been used earlier to launch a rocket attack that landed in residential areas of central Baghdad.

Like parole officers, but with better 'intelligence' -- [IN Iraq]
Shehabi, a town in Salah Ad Din province, used to be crawling with insurgent activity, but this week soldiers of Archangel Platoon of the 2/320th battalion rode in with boxes of school supplies instead of battering rams.

Shiites maintain strong nationalistic ties to Iraq, says amb. -- [Voices of Iraq]
Baghdad, May 7, (VOI)- Iraqi ambassador in Washington said on Wednesday that the majority of Iraqi Shiites maintain strong nationalistic ties to Iraq, noting that they in fact present a threat to the Iranian state rather than the other way around.

Abu Ayyub al-Masri Reportedly Captured (UPDATE :FALSE ALARM) -- [Jawa Report]
We're hearing all over that the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq has been captured. He also holds the position of Minister of War in the fictional Islamic State of Iraq. This guy has been reported dead or captured more times than a dog has fleas. I'd take it with a grain of salt until confirmed.
...Update by Vinnie Since some are skeptical of our skepticism, here's what we received from our sources on the subject:
From a buddy over there hunting that dipshit right now:
By the way...wrong guy. The stupid Iraqi General screwed up the guys kunya (Abu name). Oops. Looks like an Iraqi General has hummous on his face.

Iraq: Al-Qaeda used 6,000 suicide bombers, say documents [AKI]
Baghdad, 6 May (AKI) - Al-Qaeda has used 6,000 suicide bombers in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, according to records discovered in a terrorist training camp in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad. ...

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi Revealed? -- [Talisman Gate بـاب الطلــسم - an Iraqi blog]
This is a response I posted to a comment earlier today about whether Abu Omar al-Baghdadi's true identity has been revealed:
...This account has credibility in so far as the Zawis of Haditha and Anah claim descent from Al-Hussein [much disputed by genealogists], and AOB in his last speech singled out the Jughaifis in his last speech and seemed to be knowledgeable about the tribes in that area above Haditha. He even mentioned the Zawiyeen even though they are a very small clan.
In fact, I remember reading a year ago, around the time when Muharib al-Juburi was killed, that someone on a jihadist chatroom made the assertion that al-Zawi was AOB.
So it could be Hamid al-Zawi afterall. However, ...

U.S. forces did not take part in closing Sadr's radio station-army -- [Voices of Iraq]
Baghdad, May 9, (VOI) – A U.S. army's media advisor on Friday denied the participation of its troops in the raid that took place yesterday on the Sadr's al-Ahad Radio Station to enforce orders to close the radio.
"U.S. forces did not participate in the raid that closed Al-Ahad Radio Station on Thursday," U.S. army media advisor Abdellatif Rayan told aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI) on the phone.
On Thursday, Al-Ahad (Pledge) Radio manager Abid Abu-Zahra told VOI that U.S. and Iraqi forces closed his station's office, and stopped its broadcast, at orders from the Iraqi government.
"An Iraqi-U.S. force stopped al-Ahad radio station's broadcast, according to a memo that carried Premier Nouri al-Maliki's signature," Abu-Zahra told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).
"The force did not show a legal memo to stop the station," he said.
"This step made by the government is a dangerous measure that deprives people from the voice that represents their pains," he added.

How the Outcome in Sadr City Led to Today’s Clashes in Beirut -- [Talisman Gate بـاب الطلــسم - an Iraqi blog]
...I believe Iran needed to show the United States and its Arab allies that it can humiliate them by overrunning the government they back in Beirut and that they’d be unable to do anything about it, and I believe that Iran needed to make this point now because the Mahdi Army in Iraq has collapsed.

Baghdad, Iraq: Camp Cropper

A look at a theater internment facility in Baghdad, Iraq

Congressional Action Request -- [Fraiser - in Iraq]
Lets talk about steak! As Americans we all LOVE steak. We love to BBQ steak, broil steak, cut it up and make shish Kabob steak. We have “Steak Night” here once a week, and as much as I love steak, I take a pass on it every week. The steak here is ungodly horrible. I really believe they BOIL their steak before they heat it up. (I know, I know. “Shut up! You’re getting steak! You should be happy!”)
BUT THIS STEAK SUCKS! I have never seen anybody do what these people do to a steak. It looks and tastes like shoe leather. There is no pink anywhere. It’s brown and dry all the way through. The first time you get it you think: “This steak is horrible. It must just be a bad night for steak.” But it is a bad night for steak anytime they serve steak! You can drown it in A-1, Ketchup, soy sauce, or formaldehyde, and it will taste exactly the same - like boiled steak.
It may be part of a weight-loss program secretly initiated by the military.

AFGHANISTAN

Rapid Reaction Force(RRF) -- [Cheese's Milblog - in Afghanistan]
I just got off of Rapid Reaction Force(RRF) and am surprised to not be heading right back outside the wire, for once! RRF was much more interesting this time, mainly because we just got a Wii in the mail. For those who are unaware, RRF is where we get all of our stuff ready to roll out the gate, then we sit around and wait for something to happen. Think firefighter...with guns. Normally the RRF shack is a place to watch old DVDs...but not this time. One by one, each guy who made fun of us as we whacked away at digital tennis balls ended up joining in. Seeing guys in ACUs swatting WiiMotes around in an under-sized RRF shack is beyond hilarious.

Paras Return to Afghanistan

Two years on from the fierce fighting in 2006, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment return to Afghanistan.

Gates: No extension of 1/6 in Afghanistan -- [Military Watch]
Marines in Afghanistan, due to rotate home this fall, will not be extended, Defense Secretary Gates indicated this afternoon.
"There is no plan to extend the Marine deployment beyond this winter, November," Gates said Friday at a Pentagon news briefing.
"We are still going to be looking at what the options are in terms of augmenting our presence" in Afghanistan beyond 2008, Gates added. "As this point at least, as far as I know there is no specific planning going on along those lines.''
The 2,500 Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which includes the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, were diverted from a planned deployment in Iraq to Afghanistan, where they arrived ini March.

Marines ignore Taliban cash crop to not upset Afghan locals -- [From the ’stan - AP journalist in Afghanistan]
...The Taliban, whose fighters are exchanging daily fire with the Marines in Garmser, derives up to $100 million a year from the poppy harvest by taxing farmers and charging safe passage fees — money that will buy weapons for use against U.S., NATO and Afghan troops.
Yet the Marines are not destroying the plants. In fact, they are reassuring villagers the poppies won’t be touched. American commanders say the Marines would only alienate people and drive them to take up arms if they eliminated the impoverished Afghans’ only source of income.
Many Marines in the field are scratching their heads over the situation.
“It’s kind of weird. We’re coming over here to fight the Taliban. We see this. We know it’s bad. But at the same time we know it’s the only way locals can make money,” said 1st Lt. Adam Lynch, 27, of Barnstable, Mass.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Hezbollah's Endgame? Pt. 2 -- [Michael Totten - in Lebanon]
“Iran has suffered some pretty serious defeats in Iraq, foremost is that the Shiites there kind of turned on Iran. May they not need to pull back and focus on their role as the champion of the Shiites right now, even at the cost of compromising their efforts to jump the Sunni-Shiite divide? They may actually be in no better a shape among Lebanon's Shiites as they are among Iraq's. Second, there were these really odd nasty exchanges between Zawahiri and Iran, which may have been born of Iran's desire right now to solidify its own role as Shiite champion.

Civilization ends: 10-year-old gives birth after being raped by suspected illegal immigrant -- [Hot Air]
Emphasis on suspected: Early reports claim that he’s here illegally but cops are still investigating. My deepest apologies to amnesty shills everywhere for even bringing his status up. Hopefully it’ll turn out he’s a citizen so we can all breathe a sigh of relief and be comfortably outraged by the crime; otherwise this is destined to end up on “Geraldo At Large” as one of those segments in which our fearless host spends six of the seven minutes devoted to it explaining why immigration politics have absolutely, positively nothing whatsoever to do with the matter — even though in theory stronger enforcement would have kept this guy out of the country in the first place. Click the image to watch.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Jihad and U.S. Intelligence Resources -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
...On May 8, Congressman Peter Hoekstra attempted to strike a blow for reason and sanity in the war against global jihadism, by making the rational and consistent definition of our enemy a priority in allocating budget resources for U.S. intelligence programs. Specifically, Congressman Hoekstra was seeking an amendment that "would prohibit the intelligence community from adopting speech codes that encumber accurately describing the radical jihadist terrorists that attacked America and continue to threaten the homeland."

Freed Gitmo detainee, struggling to adapt to life on the outside, blows himself up in Iraq -- [The Monkey Tennis Centre]
Politicians, anti-war groups and the mainstream media complain ceaselessly that America should close Guantanamo Bay, and either return the terror suspects being held at the camp to their home countries or put them on trial in civilian courts in the US. More than 400 detainees have indeed been returned to their countries, where they’ve either been tried for offences committed there, kept under some form of supervision or freed without charge.
One such detainee was Abdallah Salih al-Ajmi, a Kuwaiti who was repatriated in 2005 and subsequently acquitted of terrorism charges.

Nice Boy Update -- [Greyhawk]
CBS/AP: Ex-Guantanamo Prisoner ID'd As Iraq Bomber. The story includes a picture borrowed from this link (wonder how they found it?) along with this amazing spin:
Wilner called the alleged suicide attack a "tragedy" that could have been avoided with court hearings for prisoners held at Guananamo [sic], where the U.S. now holds about 270 men.
"The lack of a process results in tragic mistakes on both sides," the lawyer said.

Gitmo’s Guerrilla Lawyers -- [9/11 Families...]
...Mr. Mutairi was among 12 Kuwaitis picked up in Afghanistan and detained at Guantanamo Bay in 2002. Their families retained Tom Wilner and the prestigious law firm of Shearman & Sterling early that same year. Arguably, it is Mr. Wilner’s aggressive representation, along with the determined efforts of the Kuwait government, that has had the greatest influence in the outcome of all the enemy combatant cases, in the court of law and in the court of public opinion. The lawsuit filed on their behalf, renamed Rasul v. Bush when three cases were joined, is credited with opening the door for the blizzard of litigation that followed.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Over 1000 deployed service members waiting for adoption -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany] We might have to close the submissions page if we don't catch up with adoptions. Please consider standing up and becoming a Soldiers' Angel, or help spread the word.

Update from Afghanistan -- [Jake's Life - in Afghanistan]
I just received an email from Jake. He is unable to post to this blog for the reasons he explained earlier.
He has asked me to pass this on to all who have asked how they can help.
Dad- could you put up on the blog that we could use- jerky, sunflower seeds, gum, drink mixes, AAA/AA batteries, old books/magazines, protein powder packets (individual packets), copenhagen (not for me obviously), crossword/word game books, boot socks.

Giving ’til it hurts -- [Neptunus Lex]
Sometimes it hurts right away.
Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Matt Damon collaborated to make “Saving Private Ryan” a few years back, the World War II blockbuster featuring the costly and heroic rescue of a “sole survivor” deep behind enemy lines. Devin Nunes, a California congressman, asked them to throw their star power behind legislation codifying the rights of actual sole survivors, since one of his constituents, having lost two brothers in Iraq, requested and was granted a return to the US. Upon his return, Army Specialist Jason Hubbard got exactly what he was entitled to by law: Nothing. No benefits, no GI Bill, no separation counseling. He was asked to pay back his enlistment bonus.
Would the Hollywood power trio care to lend a hand?
They would not:

Occupational Therapy -- [jrsalzman - injured in Iraq]
...The little blip of me was taken when I was learning how to write left handed.

The Occupational Therapy Department at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has produced a 90 second video to showcase some of the many rehabilitation services that are provided to wounded soldiers. As advances in battlefield medicine save more soldiers' lives than ever before, the science of occupational therapy is providing rehabilitation that allows America's wounded warriors to return to full participation in life. The video is the latest educational tool that the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is promoting in support of Occupational Therapy Month 2007.
"Critical work for our nation is being conducted by hundreds of therapists in Veterans Administration Hospitals, military facilities, private practices and community re-entry programs, says AOTA President M. Carolyn Baum PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA. "This video produced by the practitioners at Walter Reed will help focus attention on the important work being performed there, and the innovations in rehabilitation that will benefit all of society."

A few things out of San Antonio -- [Miss Ladybug]
...Our Lady of the Lake University, in appreciation of our military, was offering tuition assistance to qualifying personnel. I'd been too busy with other things to write up a post about it. In checking their website this evening, it's a "Military Scholarship Program" that will cover the difference between the government tuition assistance of up to $250 per semester hour (I assume this is the GI Bill?) and OLLU's rate of $628 per semester hour, so a military member can go to school (for either a Bachelor's or Master's degree) for free (not counting books & fees). The scholarship of $378 per hour is also open to military spouses. Our Lady of the Lake University should be applauded for their generosity to our military and their spouses.

Soldiers tell their Alive Day story from Iraq - Brian Williams & James Gandolfini

Soldiers tell their Alive Day story from Iraq on this HBO special by James Gandolfini. Brian Williams from NBC Nightly News interviews Gandolfini.

Witches to Attack Troops in Berkeley -- [Move America Forward]
You're not going to believe this - well, actually you just might - but the anti-military organization, Code Pink, is bringing witches out to the Berkeley Marine Recruiting Center this Friday to:
"cast spells, weave magic, invoke the foremothers, share wisdom, lead rituals to banish war and violence and to bring peace to the MRS, to protect our youth from the powerful spells of pro-war forces, to lead the men of the marine recruiting station off into the oceans of peace!"
So we here at Move America Forward decided to have a counter-event. We're calling it a "Witch-Hunt" and we at MAF will be out in front of the Marine Recruiting Center this FRIDAY, May 9th from 8:00 AM - 12:00 Noon.

Departing Dancing with the Stars Celeb Tips Hat to Military -- [Amy Proctor]
Mario, the 21 year old multi-platinum selling R&B /Pop singer on Dancing with the Stars, made a point during final remarks as he left the show last night to thank the men and women serving in our Armed Forces overseas as he reflected on comments by a Dancing with the Stars judge that he was an inspiration to young people.

Shelia Ross - Texas State Manager Says Goodbye After 5 Years -- [SOLDIERS' ANGELS TEXAS]
Dear Angels,
It is with much sadness that I am resigning my position as the State Manager of Texas. I have been involved in all areas of Soldiers’ Angels for nearly five years and I have loved every minute.
As many of you know, my precious mother passed away in January and I’m having a hard time disposing of her personal effects and making sure all the bills are paid. Also, last fall my husband of nearly 37 years, was diagnosed with alzheimer’s disease. Due to the stress of going through his own grieving process and work issues, his alzheimer’s has worsened to the point of retiring now. We will be in the D/FW area for a while, but we will be moving out of state to be closer to our children.
I am still doing things for SA, so if any of you have questions or need help anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

MILITARY

Milestones -- [Neptunus Lex]
There are two sets of paperwork sitting on my desk just now. One is a packet of documents formalizing an offer of post-naval employment. The other is a packet of documents that will end my active service. I can’t seem to make a start on either of them.
I rationalize to myself that my last day in the uniform of the country I have served for the last 30 years is not yet certain - my approved retirement date is 1 AUG 2008, but I’ve requested a modification to those orders moving it up to 1 JUL 2008. It’ll be approved of course. No reason for them not to approve it. Probably on the way. But it’s not here yet, and so I dither.

Retirement -- Full Circle -- [The Gunner's World]
1 March 2008 the day I was retired from the Marine Corps after 25 years. I spent my first 8 years on active duty and the last 17 as a reservist. I have come a long way since I first set foot on Parris Island back in Jan of 1983. I still remember asking myself "What have I done" as a Sgt jumped on the bus I was on and proceeded to scream obscenities at us and to get off his @#$$% bus, Hell I did not know he owned the bus!
In the end, I could not have made a better choice. What the USMC has done for me is immeasurable.

IN MEMORY OF...

`Miracle' Marine dies; badly burned in 2005 Iraq blast -- [AP]
A Marine sergeant who became a symbol of resilience as he strove to recover from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq that blanketed 97 percent of his body with burns has died, the Defense Department said. He was 22.
Sgt. Merlin German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was continuing treatment for the injuries he suffered in combat on Feb. 22, 2005, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The former turret gunner was dubbed the "Miracle Man" for his determination in facing his wounds, which cost the former saxophone player his fingers and rippled his face with scars. He endured more than 40 surgeries, spent 17 months in a hospital and had to learn to walk again.
Meanwhile, he started a charity, Merlin's Miracles, to aid child burn victims and considered college and a career.
"Sometimes I do think I can't do it," he told The Associated Press last year. "Then I think: Why not? I can do whatever I want. ... Nobody has ever been 97 percent dead and survived, and lived to walk."
...German had been stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the state Capitol's flags would be flown at half-staff in German's honor, saying the sergeant's "courage and unfailing loyalty serve as an inspiration to Americans everywhere."

WELCOME HOME

Safe In the Arms Of Love -- [Badger Forward - home from Iraq]
I'm home.

Update -- [Sgt Hook - homeward bound from Iraq for R&R]
Just checking in and wanted to send a very big THANK YOU to all of those who have shown tremendous support to the Soldiers serving over here. My unit recently received a ton of Girl Scout Cookies from three troops in Texas with the help of the local firefighter’s union and longtime supporter Anthony.
I also want to thank all those who sent birhday wishes and checked up on my well being. My apologies for not replying to your comments and emails, but thank you so very much.
In a few hours I’ll be heading home for a little R&R leave.

Homeward bound -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan -- coming home from Afghanistan]
If all has gone according to plan, as you read this we should be somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.
We are on our way to Fort Riley, Kansas, where we will spend the next five days or so turning in equipment, clearing paperwork and sitting in on briefings designed to make sure our heads are on straight and our expectations about going home are realistic.
It won't be home, but it will be in the greatest country in the world. That counts for a lot.

Campbell County Guard unit back from Iraq -- [Knox News]
Members of three Tennessee National Guard units are back in the United States from Iraq.
About 300 soldiers of the 1175th Transportation Co. from Jacksboro, Tullahoma and Brownsville left a year ago for duty in Iraq. They returned to Fort Bragg, N.C., this week.
Plans call for the soldiers to come home next week.
The units spent most of the past year hauling equipment through Iraq. They covered more than 1.6 million miles, according to the National Guard - all without a single casualty.

POLITICS

'Blue Dog' Democrats Join GOP in Opposing War Bill -- [WaPo]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday postponed consideration of a bill that would continue funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as a bloc of conservative Democrats balked at the high cost of including several of Pelosi's favored domestic spending programs.
Pelosi (D-Calif.), who also faces Republican stalling tactics in protest of unusual parliamentary procedures, predicted that the complaints of "Blue Dog" Democrats would be addressed and that the bill eventually would receive unanimous support from Democrats.
"I am very confident that, next week, we will come to the floor with a bill that has the full consensus of the Democrats and hopefully can attract a large number of Republicans, as well," she told reporters.

White House renews veto threat against troop funding bill -- [My Way News]
...Most significantly, Jim Nussle, director of the White House budget office, said House Democrats' plan to add unrelated legislation extending unemployment benefits, at a cost of $16 billion over two years, and boosting education benefits under the GI Bill, at a cost that could reach $51 billion over the next decade, would provoke a veto even though they are popular politically.
Nussle also issued a more predictable veto promise against a Senate bill that adds spending in excess of Bush's $108 billion request.
"To just pile them into the troop funding bill because the troop funding bill is necessary is a cynical process that the president has already been very clear about - the fact that he would veto," Nussle told the Associated Press.

GI Bill Update -- [Greyhawk]
Another attempt on my part to get the early facts straight - before the spin machine hits overdrive. I find it amazing that Democrats could destroy any chance for a new GI Bill, then get 80-90 percent of the military/veteran vote (Note veterans - that's a BIG number) this fall for doing so - but it's a likely outcome.

This Will Be The #1 Issue in the 2008 Elections-- And, It Goes to Republicans -- [Gateway Pundit]
Over the past 30 years:
Which party blocked the development of new sources of petroleum?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling in ANWR?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off the coast of Florida?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off of the east coast?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off of the west coast?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off the Alaskan coast?-- Democrat
Which party blocked building oil refineries?-- Democrat
Which party blocked clean nuclear energy production?-- Democrat
Which party blocked clean coal production?-- Democrat
...Democrats like to attack evil American oil companies and block them from drilling off our coasts.
But, it doesn't seem to bother them when China starts drilling for oil in these same areas 50 miles from Key West.

THE MEDIA

McClatchy News Agency Purposely Distorts Quotes, Publishes Unattributed Gossip -- [Talisman Gate بـاب الطلــسم - an Iraqi blog]
McClatchy Newspapers put out a news wire on April 29 under the byline of Hannah Allam (McClatchy’s Middle East bureau chief in Cairo, who traveled to Iraq for this story), with Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel—two reporters known for their sources within U.S. intelligence, specifically the CIA—reporting from the United States. Landay and Strobel are also known as two activist reporters with a strong bias against the Iraq war.
The report tried, with plenty of hyperbole, to paint General Qassem Suleimani, the head of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, as the most influential man in Iraq.

Insurgency, the Media and the Propaganda of the Deed -- [Insurgency Research Group]
IRG member Neville Bolt, who is completing a PhD on the Propaganda of the Deed in the War Studies department at King’s, has added the following to the debate regarding the role played by the media in facilitating insurgent exploitation of the POTD strategy, and the difficult question of how best to respond.

CNN.com Needs to Brush Up on Its Military Hardware -- [Newsbusters]
CNN has an article posted this AM about the on-going misery in Myanmar resulting from the recent cyclone that devastated the Irrawaddy delta and has left as many as 100,000 dead. The country's paranoid military dictatorship is hampering aid efforts, and as a result, is no doubt adding to the number of dead and injured.
In writing about the U.S. forces in the area poised to help if the dictatorship will only allow international aid, CNN makes the following curious claim (in bold):

Iraqi activist in Time's 100 most influential people list -- [Iraq Updates]
Iraqi activist Madeeha Hasan Odhaib has been named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world list.
Odhaib arrived for the gala in New York on Thursday, carrying an Iraqi flag. She got the 32nd slot in Time's list.
The 37-year-old seamstress has devoted much of her time helping the poor and homeless in Iraq. Some people have begun calling her the Mother Teresa of Baghdad.

Pulling Punches: WaPo Cancels Article for Being 'Too Critical' of Islam -- [Newsbusters]
Left-leaning journalists don't just pull their punches when it comes to criticizing liberal politicians, they also seem paradoxically inclined to do so when it comes to discussing radical Islam. This curious phenomenon has repeated itself many times over the years and is really one of the most bizarre behaviors I've seen in politics.

Dan Rather: No One Likes Me Anymore -- [Newsbusters]
The bloodletting from Dan Rather's ongoing lawsuit at CBS continues, although this time, Rather is going after himself saying that no one wants to hire him after his forged document scandal:

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

Obama Cites McCain War Record as Key Weakness -- [ScrappleFace]
(2008-05-08) — Sen. Barack Obama bolstered his standing as the Democrat presidential contender best able to defeat Republican rival Sen. John McCain today with what progressive pundits agree was a crippling attack on the Vietnam P.O.W.’s military service record.

(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)

IN TENNESSEE 300 National Guard soldiers from Campbell County just got back from Iraq, after a year in which they suffered no casualties. Congratulations, and welcome back.

The units spent most of the past year hauling equipment through Iraq. They covered more than 1.6 million miles, according to the National Guard - all without a single casualty.

The Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, sergeant was responsible for more than 800 convoys during his deployment in support of OIF. His expert leadership resulted in the convoys traveling more than 450,000 miles across Iraq without a single casualty or injury.

Elsewhere, JP Borda prepares to pop smoke:

You'll be happy to know we've completed our final mission just a few days ago. All Bad Voodoo soldiers are safe and off the road.

Since the Army was kind enough to send me an invitation to go back to Operation Iraqi Freedom, I decided to R.S.V.P. to it by writing a little Op-Ed piece about it for the San Francisco Chronicle.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pulled the bill from the schedule Wednesday night after conservative-to-moderate "Blue Dog" Democrats revolted over Democratic leaders' insistence on including in the war funding bill an unrelated provision to sharply increase education benefits for veterans under the GI Bill.

The new GI Bill — designed to give Iraq war veterans enough help to finance a four-year stint at a public college — would cost $51 billion over 10 years. It runs afoul of a rule designed to prevent new benefit programs from causing the deficit to spiral.

The Democratic rebels are the House's top supporters of "pay as you go" budget rules that require that new benefit programs be financed with offsetting spending cuts or new taxes so as not to cause the budget deficit to increase. The war funding bill is an emergency appropriation, but the veterans education funding is a new mandatory benefit program that's supposed to be subject to the budget rule.

"It's the principle involved of not putting a mandatory program of any kind on an emergency supplemental," said Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn.

Meanwhile, White House budget director Jim Nussle weighed in Thursday with renewed veto threats against rival House and Senate Iraq funding bills, saying the add-ons for veterans and an extension of unemployment benefits were unacceptable.

"To just pile them into the troop funding bill because the troop funding bill is necessary is a cynical process that the president has already been very clear about — the fact that he would veto," Nussle told The Associated Press.

"It does not honor veterans to borrow Chinese yuan to pay for these benefits," said Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., a leader of the 47-member House Blue Dog Coalition, which opposes deficit spending.

Budget experts outside Congress were even more incensed. David Walker, the former U.S. comptroller general who has said the nation faces $53 trillion in unfunded federal liabilities over the coming century, called it "morally reprehensible." Criticism also came from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and the Concord Coalition deficit watchdog group.

"No matter how laudable the intended purpose and no matter how important the targeted population is, the absolute last thing we ought to be doing is expanding entitlement benefits," Walker said.

Veterans' groups reacted warily to the moderate Democrats' intervention. "I think their bark is a lot worse than their bite," said Patrick Campbell, legislative director for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "I don't think any one of these people want to be on the record for voting against the GI bill."

If the bill becomes law, it would be the third time that House Democrats have violated the rule they passed last year to pay for new spending or tax cuts. They did not pay for the two-year, $168 billion economic-stimulus package passed in February or a $50 billion tax cut last December.

Negotiations over the next few days will focus on how to pay for the education benefit. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Thursday she wants to keep it in the bill. "We are going to say 'thank you' to our vets. 'Now you can go to college if you wish,' " she said.

The war-funding bill needs to be passed by next month, or the Defense Department will begin sending furlough notices to civilian employees.

BAGHDAD (AP) -- The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday.

Spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said the arrest of al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was confirmed to him by the Iraqi commander of the province. There was no immediate confirmation or comment from U.S. forces on the arrest.

The U.S. military in Baghdad said "we are currently checking with Iraqi authorities to confirm the accuracy of this information."

Update:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A man seized by Iraqi forces in the northern city of Mosul is not Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, a senior U.S. military official said on Friday.

"He has not been detained," the official told Reuters, without giving further details. Several Iraqi officials had earlier said Masri had been captured in an operation late on Wednesday.

Headlines:

CBS/AP: Ex-Guantanamo Prisoner ID'd As Iraq Bomber. The story includes a picture borrowed from this link (wonder how they found it?) along with this amazing spin:

Wilner called the alleged suicide attack a "tragedy" that could have been avoided with court hearings for prisoners held at Guananamo [sic], where the U.S. now holds about 270 men.

"The lack of a process results in tragic mistakes on both sides," the lawyer said.

Al-Ajmi's American lawyer said incarceration at Guantanamo may have turned the Kuwaiti into a terrorist.

Al-Ajmi is not the first former Guantanamo detainee to reportedly return to the battlefield after being released. Pentagon officials say there are more than 10 people once held by the U.S. at Guantanamo who have been killed or captured in fighting after being released from the detention facility.

"Our reports indicate that a number of former [Guantanamo Bay] detainees have taken part in anti-coalition militant activities after leaving U.S. detention. Some have subsequently been killed in combat," said Cmdr. Jeff Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman.

The Pentagon has publicly identified 13 former Guantanamo detainees who have gone back to the fight since their release.

But a Defense Intelligence Agency report dated May 1, 2008 says that 36 former detainees are "confirmed or suspected" of having returned to terrorism, said a US defense official who asked not to be identified.

Fears case will harm civil rights bid to free inmates

The involvement of an ex-Guantánamo detainee will make it harder for civil rights lawyers in the US and Britain, who have been fighting for the release of the remaining prisoners at the camp complex in Cuba.
<...>
The Democratic and Republican candidates to replace President George Bush in January next year have promised to close the camp.

Hat tip: Tim Sumner of 9/11 Families - who are following this story closely.

Previous entry: Such a Nice Boy

The Good: The House will vote on the new GI Bill today (more on that shortly). Meanwhile, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee conducted hearings yesterday:

At Wednesday’s hearing, three major veterans’ groups — the American Legion, AmVets and Paralyzed Veterans of America — are expected to endorse S 22, the benefits bill sponsored by Sen. James Webb, D-Va., over the Republican bill, sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Veterans’ groups also are expected to directly contradict Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ opposition to S 22 on the grounds that it would hurt the all-volunteer force by encouraging people to get out of the military.

The bad - back to those Senate hearings:

The Department of Veterans Affairs seemed to be standing in front of a fast-moving train Wednesday when a top official said VA would need two years of preparation to come up with a payment system for a proposed overhaul of GI Bill education benefits.

The warning flags were waved by Keith Pedigo, VA’s associate deputy undersecretary for policy and program management, who said meeting an Aug. 1, 2009, effective date for the benefits increases, under what lawmakers are calling the 21st Century GI Bill of Rights, would be extremely difficult.

Because the proposal calls for the maximum benefit to be different in each state, payments would have to be manually, rather than automatically, processed, Pedigo said.

“VA does not now have a payment system or the appropriate number of trained personnel to administer the program,” Pedigo said, predicting it would take two years to develop a payment system to provide the new benefits.

Pedigo also warned of fundamental unfairness in a proposed housing allowance that would be based on where a school is located, rather than where a student lives, which could encourage veterans to enroll in online learning programs offered by schools in high-cost areas.

The Pentagon, VA and the White House’s Office of Management and Budget oppose S 22, either as a separate bill or combined with the supplemental.

The Ugly - meanwhile, over in the House...

Setting up their last major battle over war policy with President Bush, House Democrats yesterday unveiled a plan to link their favored domestic spending projects and a troop-withdrawal timeline to additional funds for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan requested by the White House.

House Democrats, defying President Bush's threat of a veto, will offer a supplemental appropriation bill tomorrow that continues funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but includes other provisions opposed by the White House. The three amendments include:

Amendment 1:

· $162.6 billion to continue funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan well into 2009.

Amendment 2:

· A requirement to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within 30 days of passage, with a goal of having all troops out of Iraq by December 2009 (except those providing embassy security).

· A mandate that any unit deployed to Iraq must meet Pentagon requirements that it be "fully mission capable."

· An anti-torture provision that requires the CIA to comply with interrogation techniques in the Army Field Manual.

Amendment 3:

· $1.2 billion for global food aid.

· $5.8 billion to repair levees in Louisiana.

· An additional $11 billion over 10 years for unemployment compensation.

· An expansion of education benefits for returning troops.

But Democrats are less interested in passing a new GI Bill and more focused on creating political advertisements for the upcoming campaign season. Any House or Senate Republican who opposes the "Big Bill" for reasons other than the GI education benefits can (and will) be accused of voting against the new GI Bill. And the Democrats have spent years developing "Veterans Groups" who are actually political wings of their party and are now standing by to aid and abet the effort through a very willing and supportive media. Democrats win, veterans lose (in a big way - there will be no chance of a Bill in a non-election year like 2009) and Republicans won't know what hit them.

Previous entries:

GI Bill for the 21st Century

How Republicans "lost" the Military Vote

Three years ago, Abdullah Saleh al-Ajmi, a Kuwaiti soldier who deserted to fight in Afghanistan alongside the Taliban, sat in a detention cell at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, while lawyers argued whether he was an "enemy combatant."
<...>
U.S. counterterrorism analysts argued in a review of al-Ajmi's activities that he should not be released or returned to Kuwait based on the following:

— That he deserted from the Kuwaiti army to participate in a jihad in Afghanistan;

— The Taliban supplied him with arms, including grenades;

— He admitted fighting with the Taliban, including engaging in two or three firefights;

— He was captured by coalition forces in the Tora Bora region, an area once thought to be a hideout of Usama bin Laden;

Al-Ajmi denied all charges that he was an enemy combatant and a jihadist, and that documented statements were untrue.

He was repatriated to Kuwaiti authorities on Nov. 3, 2005.

Last week, a Dubai-based television channel reported that al-Ajmi was killed carrying out a homicide bombing in Mosul, Iraq.

It might have been one of these incidents

Three suicide bombers and a car bomb have struck the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing at least nine people and wounding 31 others, police said.

Iraqi soldiers foil suicide bomb attack in Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi soldiers at a military base in Mosul, the capital of the northern province of Nineveh, foiled a suicide tanker bomb attack on their base, said the provincial police.

The incident occurred at about 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) when a suicide bomber tried to drive his booby-trapped tanker into the army base in the al-Tanak area in western Mosul, Brigadier Khalid Abdul-Sattar, spokesman of the provincial security operations office told Xinhua.

The soldiers at the entrance of the base ordered the tanker driver to stop before they opened fire with rocket propelled grenades and machinguns, causing a powerful explosion in the tanker which was heard on all over the city of Mosul, Sattar said.

Only one soldier was injured by the blast because the soldiers blew up the tanker before reaching the fortified entrance of the base, added the spokesman.

Answer here:

How did Shearman & Sterling get tapped for this historic assignment? Speaking at Seton Hall Law School in fall of 2006, Mr. Wilner recounted that he visited the facility at Guantanamo Bay in 2002, months before he met the Kuwaiti 12’s families. What was Mr. Wilner doing at Gitmo more than two years before Rasul established the legal basis for lawyers getting access to detainees inside the camp? One of his Gitmo legal colleagues has said that Mr. Wilner was brought into the case by an oil industry client.

It turns out that Shearman & Sterling, a 1,000-lawyer firm with offices in 19 cities all over the world, has substantial business dealings on six continents. Indeed, Shearman’s client care for Middle Eastern matters has established a new industry standard: The firm’s Abu Dhabi office states that it has pioneered the concept of “Shariah-compliant” financing. In Kuwait, the firm has represented the government on a wide variety of matters involving billions of dollars worth of assets. So the party underwriting the litigation on behalf of the Kuwaiti 12–from which all of the detainees have benefited–is one of Shearman & Sterling’s most lucrative OPEC accounts.

Shearman & Sterling did far more than just write legal briefs and shuttle down to Gitmo to conduct interviews about alleged torture for the BBC. In addition to its legal services, the firm registered as an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA) as well as the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) to press the Kuwaiti detainees’ cause on Capitol Hill. Shearman reported $749,980 in lobbying fees under FARA for one six-month period in 2005 and another $200,000 under the LDA over a one-year period between 2005 and 2006. Those are the precise time periods when Congress was engaged in intense debates over the Detainee Treatment Act and the Military Commissions Act, legislation which Shearman & Sterling and its Kuwaiti paymasters hoped would pave the way for shutting down Guantanamo permanently and setting their clients free.

Mr. Wilner, a media-savvy lawyer who immediately realized that the detainee cases posed a tremendous PR challenge in the wake of September 11, hired high-stakes media guru Richard Levick to change public perception about the Kuwaiti 12. Mr. Levick, a former attorney whose Washington, D.C.-based “crisis PR” firm has carved out a niche in litigation-related issues, has represented clients as varied as Rosie O’Donnell, Napster, and the Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Levick’s firm is also registered under FARA as an agent of a foreign principal for the “Kuwaiti Detainees Committee,” reporting $774,000 in fees in a one year period. After the U.S. Supreme Court heard the first consolidated case, the PR campaign went into high gear, Mr. Levick wrote, to “turn the Guantanamo tide.”

In numerous published articles and interviews, Mr. Levick has laid out the essence of the entire Kuwaiti PR campaign. The strategy sought to accomplish two things: put a sympathetic “human face” on the detainees and convince the public that it had a stake in their plight. In other words, the militant Islamists who traveled to Afghanistan to become a part of al Qaeda’s jihad on America had to be reinvented as innocent charity workers swept up in the war after 9/11. The committed Islamist who admitted firing an AK-47 in a Taliban training camp became a “teacher on vacation” who went to Afghanistan in 2001 “to help refugees.” The member of an Islamist street gang who opened three al-Wafa offices with Suliman Abu Ghaith (Osama Bin Laden’s chief spokesman) to raise al Qaeda funds became a charity worker whose eight children were left destitute in his absence. All 12 Kuwaitis became the innocent victims of “bounty hunters.”

A Montreal-based marketing firm was hired to create the families’ full-service Web site which fed propaganda–unsourced, unrebutted and uninvestigated by the media–aimed at the media all over the world. Creating what Mr. Levick calls a “war of pictures,” the site is replete with images meant to appeal to Americans: smiling Kuwaiti families wearing T-shirts and baseball caps, cute children passing out yellow ribbons.

In other Gitmo news:

An Al-Jazeera cameraman released from the U.S.-run Guantanamo Bay detention center last week described it Monday as the worst prison mankind has ever seen.

Sami al-Haj, a Sudanese citizen, was whisked from his hospital bed in a convoy escorted by police cars with flashing lights and wailing sirens to an outdoor event in his neighborhood organized by his family. His speech was broadcast live on Sudanese television.

“After 2,340 days spent in the most heinous prison mankind has ever known, we are honored to be here. Thank you, and thank all those defended us and of our right in freedom,” he told the cheering crowd.

When I started writing about Guantánamo several years ago, I thought the inmates might be lying and the Pentagon telling the truth. No doubt some inmates lie, and some surely are terrorists. But over time — and it’s painful to write this — I’ve found the inmates to be more credible than American officials.
<...>
In reality, it would take an exceptional enemy to damage America’s image and interests as much as President Bush and Mr. Cheney already have with Guantánamo.

UPDATE: MUCH More from 9/11 families here.

And here:

A third Kuwaiti, identified as Bader Al-Harbi has reportedly carried out a suicide attack in Iraq according to knowledgeable sources.

Released Guantanamo detainee Sami al-Haj faked weakness and the inability to walk off the US Air Force plane once it landed in Khartoum.

IRAQ

Update 3 from the Castle's Sailor-in-Iraq, Joe Honan. -- [Castle Argghhh! - Joe Honan - in Iraq]
...Moral of the story is: help the guys that know what they are doing. A few small projects for the poultry farmer goes farther in stabilizing the economy and creating jobs than does building stuff from scratch because someone asks you to. The only way to do this is to get out and about and see as much as you can. So we now have a list of five farmers who buy fish food from the Al Anbar poultry king. We figure since they buy feed, they have to have fish, and will track those guys down to see ground truth. Well anyway, the book for “Post-Combat Operations” hasn’t really been written yet, and its a lot of fun trying to build this airplane while its flying.

Iraq Fact Check: Responding To Key Myths (link coming soon) -- [Whitehouse.gov]
MYTH: The American people are footing the bill for Iraq’s security and reconstruction while Iraqis sit on large windfall oil profits.
· FACT: The Iraqi government is taking over the funding of reconstruction. In 2008, Iraq’s budget for large-scale reconstruction projects exceeds that proposed by the U.S. by more than 10 to 1, and the U.S. military expects that Iraq will soon cover 100 percent of such expenses.
· FACT: Iraq's security ministries are now spending more on their security forces than the U.S., and Iraq’s 2008 budget provides for more than 75% of the total annual cost for Iraq’s military and police.
· FACT: The government of Iraq has committed to footing approximately half the bill for the “Sons of Iraq” community watch program—which was originally 100% U.S.-funded.
· FACT: Iraq’s Ambassador to the U.S. Samir Sumaida'ie says that Iraq still has to import gasoline, and argues that “some people are going a little bit too far looking at the Iraqi surplus and the gigantic American deficit and putting two and two together … The windfall from the oil will not cover a fraction of what we need to provide clean water, electricity and the most rudimentary services for our people.”

Mission Accomplished? -- [BlackFive]
Via Seamus, comes this email from a Navy Lieutenant who was aboard the USS Lincoln during the visit from President Bush. Yesterday was the anniversary of President Bush's speech about the end of major combat operations, and it was covered by some the media as the infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech.
Here is what Lieutenant Paul Updike has to say about it:
I thought you might like to hear the rest of the story that the media misinformed the nation about on what "Mission Accomplished" was all about.

'Everything Is Fine Now': The Story of an Iraqi's Return to His Neighborhood -- [Amy Proctor]
“You can now return, and do not worry. Everything is fine now.”
This is the story of Mohamed Hussein, who fled Iraq for Syria on New Year’s Day in 2007 to escape the sectarian violence in his Baghdad neighborhood. He tolerated the unimaginable horror of indiscriminate killings by al-Qaeda and rogue militias until he feared he might become a statistic, a dead corpse on the side of the road no one would be brave enough to remove and bury him for fear of their own safety. He took with him his wife and children, leaving behind his parents.
A year later, Hussein received a phone call from his parents saying it was safe to come home. Now he describes the conditions under which he left and returned to Iraq.

Iraq News (6 May) -- [LT Nixon Rants - in Iraq]
The Good: More militants killed in Sadr City. Our forces have been fighting round the clock to get the security barrier in the southern part of the city up, and air strikes against thugs launching mortars and rockets all over Baghdad have been frequent. The superb Long War Journal has some more details on these ops. Boeing is going to sell a bunch of planes to the Iraqi government to upgrade Iraqi Airways to boost commercial flights. A brigade of 3,500 troops is set to withdraw from Iraq without backfill in accordance with the force reduction plan to go back down to 15 Brigade combat teams in Iraq. This will be followed by a 45-day pause, and then there will be more troop reductions from this country (an' shallah).

U.S. Forces Kill Three Criminals and Destroy Rocket Rail -- [DVIDS]

Footage of a Multi-National Division – Baghdad aerial weapons team that killed three criminals and destroyed a rocket rail being used by criminals to launch indirect-fire attacks in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, May 4.
An aerial weapons team conducting surveillance identified a group of criminals preparing to launch an indirect-fire attack in the Sadr City district of Baghdad at approximately 9:50 p.m. May 4. An earlier indirect-fire attack occurred form the same location.
The AWT engaged and killed three criminals with two hellfire missiles. A 240mm rocket rail was also destroyed.
Provided by Multi-National Division - Baghdad.

Iraqi troops showing "incredible maturity" in Basra operation -- [Minisitry of Defense News]
Major General Barney White-Spunner, the UK's senior military officer in southern Iraq, has been talking about his pride in the success of Iraqi troops during the ongoing operation in Basra which has seen them rid the city of a number of militia elements.

In Iraq, a storm before the calm -- [NY Daily - Michael Yon]
April saw 49 U.S. casualties in Iraq, the highest total in seven months. Does this mean, as some insist, that the enormous progress we have made since the start of the military surge is being lost?
As one who has spent nearly two years with American soldiers and Marines and British Army troops in Iraq - having returned from my last trip a month ago - here's my short answer: no.
We are taking more casualties now, just as we did in the first part of 2007, because we have taken up the next crucial challenge of this war: confronting the Shia militias.

Al-Sadr Refuses to Meet With Iraqi Delegation... In Tehran -- [Gateway Pundit]
If you still had any doubts that Iran was fomenting terrorism in Iraq, this ought to settle it...
Mookie is definitely in Iran.
Condoleezza Rice was correct in calling him a coward.
A delegation of Iraqi officials traveled to Tehran to meet with Mookie Al-Sadr but he refused to see them.

U.S. Troops Engage Insurgents in Fire Fight -- [DVIDS]

Footage of Iraqi and U.S. Army Soldiers in Tharwa 1 in Sadr City engaging special groups in a fire fight. Provided by 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs.

Baghdad police show progress, but challenges remain -- [LWJ - Bill Ardolino - in Iraq]
Bill Ardolino interviews an Iraqi Police general in the Rusafa district in central Baghdad. The general discusses the state of the police, the security situation, integration of the Sons of Iraq into the security forces, and problems with the militias.
Few things are simple in Iraq, and that maxim is no more evident than when evaluating Iraqi security forces. Relevant answers to important questions are always a matter of degree. These questions include:

Progress In Sadr City

Do Iraqis Want an Arab Nuclear Bomb? -- [Iraq the Model]
The change that took place in Iraq was not only a political one but also, and more importantly, a change in awareness; something that isn't easy to detect.
This is what I see clear in the nature of Iraqi dialogue among the public, and I'm always pleased by the degree of awareness and open-mindedness that emerged in the years that followed the change. I believe it is an important indication about the future.

Hezbollah training Iraqis in Tehran -- [AP]
Iraqi Shiite extremists are being trained by members of Hezbollah in camps near Tehran, a US military spokesman said yesterday.
Iraqis are receiving the training at camps operated by the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps that has been accused of training and funnelling weapons to Shiite extremists in Iraq.

Iraq Al Rafidein TV Airs Anti-American Fillers -- [Jawa Report]
Here is a small sampling of the fillers being used by Al Rafidein between programs in Iraq.
Freedom of the press is a good thing for Iraqi's. Unfortunately we have to take the good with the bad.
Al Rafidain TV is a Sunni endorsed satellite station. I presume some are still mourning Saddam ...

A Tuskan Raider or an Iraqi Jundi with a Sense of Humor? -- [Miserable Donuts]
The jundi in the picture was putting on everything he could while his buddies laughed and egged him on. I simply couldn't not take a picture. He was good humored enough to pose for it too.

Cut the Cord? -- [Intel Dump - Phil Carter]
On the op-ed page of Sunday's New York Times, former Defense Department official and high priest of neo-conservative foreign policy Richard Perle takes disingenuousness to new heights with this short essay:
...Ah yes, the "mistakes were made" defense. We seem to be hearing this one a lot lately from Perle's crew -- Bremer, Feith and Wolfowitz, to name a few.
Unfortunately for these men, history will record these mistakes as theirs. It was Perle's neocons who pushed the war. It was his cabal that believed a) we would be greeted as liberators, b) freedom and democracy would bloom once Saddam was toppled, and c) no sustained occupation or counterinsurgency effort would be necessary. Thus, in many ways, the thinking of Perle and his confederates was the original sin in Iraq (or the second sin if you think the invasion itself was wrong) -- it set up the U.S. effort for failure.

Report: Saddam Feared Getting 'Venereal Diseases' From U.S. Guards-- [Fox News]
The London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat published excerpts of what it described as Saddam's prison dairies which it said its correspondent obtained from U.S. authorities.
The U.S. military confirmed that pages of Saddam's writings have been released. When the former Iraqi leader found out that his U.S. military guards were also using his laundry line to dry clothes, he wrote that he demanded they stop.
"I explained to them that they are young and they could have young people's diseases," Saddam wrote. "My main concern was to not catch a venereal disease, an HIV disease, in this place." He said that some of the soldiers ignored his request.
U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Matthew Morgan declined to describe the writings as a 'diary,' saying that thousands of pages having been produced by the former leader while he was in custody.

AFGHANISTAN

Brother Accidentally Calls Home During Firefight - Afghanistan -- [Live Leak]

21 April 2008 - "Stephen Phillips and other soldiers in his Army MP company were battling insurgents when his phone was pressed against his Humvee. It redialed and called his parents in the small Oregon town of Otis."
From the brother:
"My brother is an MP over in Afghanistan. He was out in the field today on April 21st. He decided to give us a call, just to let us know how he was doing.
Nobody was home so he got the answering machine, and hung up. Just then, they started getting shot at. Somehow, his phone re-dialed, and we got this on our answering machine. He is okay."

Afghanistan, the beautiful -- [Cheese's Blog - in Afghanistan]
I know, I know...I've been insanely busy, but I hope that there won't be this kind of break in my postings for a while. They're really stepping up the tempo here, but at least it keeps me busy.
I'm starting to get a pretty good handle on this place, due in no small part to our having visited every village in our sector! Thankfully, our leadership makes a point to visit with all the local elders to ask what they need and drop off some basic supplies. You'd think that the South Carolina boys we replaced had been doing this all along...and you'd be wrong. Some of these people hadn't SEEN American troops in years! How is that even possible? But that's neither here nor their, the important part is that we're doing it now, and the people love us for it. It makes me feel a lot safer knowing that all the villages are on our side.

Canada reaches out to Taliban -- [Globe and Mail]
After years of refusing to negotiate with insurgents, soldiers in Kandahar put word out they want to talk
KHENJAKAK, AFGHANISTAN -- Canadian troops are reaching out to the Taliban for the first time, military and diplomatic officials say, as Canada softens its ban on speaking with the insurgents.
After years of rejecting any contact with the insurgents, Canadian officials say those involved with the mission are now rethinking the policy in hopes of helping peace efforts led by the Afghan government.
The Canadian work on political solutions follows two separate tracks: tactical discussions at a local level in Kandahar, and strategic talks through the Kabul government and its allies.

MacKay dismisses reports of Canada-Taliban talks in Afghanistan -- [The Canadian Press]
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Defence Minister Peter MacKay is denying reports from Afghanistan that Canadian soldiers are reaching out to members of the Taliban in order to establish peace in the war-torn country.
Canadian military officials in Afghanistan have been quoted as saying they're trying to engage in a dialogue with insurgents - a move that federal New Democrat Leader Jack Layton has long supported.

Support Troops Vital in Afghanistan - Afghanistan war’s unsung heroes

May 4: They get none of the glory and eat all of the dust. Report on the unsung heroes of the war in Afghanistan, the soldiers who deliver food, water and ammunition to combat troops.

The Disaggregation of the Taliban -- [The Captain’s Journal]
David Ignatius has a very positive analysis in his latest commentary at the Washington Post.
But this analysis is far too positve. Hamid Karzai is so concerned about the resurgence of the Taliban and future departure of U.S. troops (and consequent Taliban violence) that he has warned the U.S. against arresting Taliban. It’s time to talk and negotiate, Karzai believes.
But there is more to this problem than meets the eye.

The Taliban Plays Defense This Year -- [Strategy Page]
May 5, 2008: In Afghanistan, grabbing your gun, and going off with your buddies to try and get rich by any means available, is an ancient custom. Right now, the best opportunities are in the heroin trade. Guarding the crop, or smuggling the stuff out of the country, pays well. Kidnapping is risky, but can have a big payoff. General banditry is a possibility, as is becoming a cop (where you get a uniform to wear while you shake down civilians and steal). Then there is the Taliban. Better pay than the army or police, but much more dangerous. To that end, some Taliban leaders are changing tactics.

Afghan Govt Workers Arrested Over Karzai Attack.

2 Afghan gov't workers arrested over Karzai attack

The images of the Taliban -- [Deedenow Cinema - afghan blog]
...The Taliban as the extremist forces in Afghanistan, as the soldiers of God for the other extremists, as an unresolved enigma for the people of the western world so far have been very well known features of insurgence, terror and intimidations to almost every one in the world.
The power of media has had a major role in their introduction to the world.
Artists, writers, painters, photographers, cartoonists and caricaturists have all written, drawn, painted or depicted them some how in their own ways.
If you go to Google search you find different sizes of Taliban’s' images and if you want to read about, then there are many links in the internet about them.

FROM THAT FLAME -- [MaryAnn T. Beverly - author]
He was a man of peace who became Afghanistan's most brilliant military leader. He was America's best Afghan ally who warned about the attacks of 9-11. He fought for democracy until he was assassinated by Osama bin Laden.
He was…Ahmed Shah Massoud
Because the story this book tells is so important, you are invited to download an e-book of From That Flame free of charge.

The Taliban’s Propaganda of the Deed Strategy -- [Insurgency Research Group]
...In his yet to be published paper “Hearts and Minds: Time to Think Differently” Steve Tatham (researching at UK’s Defence Academy) shows convincingly that Taliban moved to a much more sophisticated propaganda approach in 2006 when it became the “key component in their campaign”. It is also possible that Taliban were increasingly aware that their previous efforts fell far short of the expectations of a potential audience that was multilingual and routinely exposed to the best television products in the world and therefore educated and very demanding in a visual sense. This point is also made in Nicholas O’Shaughnessy and Paul Baines about to be published 2008 paper “British Muslim Susceptibility to Islamist Propaganda: An Exploratory Study”. According to Steve Tatham Taliban’s re-branding project began by sending a start up team as interns to Al Qaeda’s video production unit Al Sahab in 2006 and very soon afterwards in early 2007 their own production standards visibly improved. In April 2007 the new, media savvy Taliban began to promote themselves as “the people’s movement” thanks to a five part series screened by Al Jazeera and compiled by their credulously enthusiastic Pakistan reporter.

For The First Time: Blogging Workshop in Kabul -- [Afghan Lord - afghan blog]
For the first time in Afghanistan, a two days Blogging workshop was organized by the Afghan Association of Blog Writers. The participants were an Afghan journalist, a University teacher, a poet and writers from different provinces and of various ethnic backgrounds.
The main goals of this workshop are better access of journalists to weblogs and other digital media. Since Afghan print and internet media are of a very low quality, blogs could help the Afghan print media and become a milestone in the media situation in Afghanistan.
...For the first time in Afghanistan, a two days Blogging workshop was organized by the Afghan Association of Blog Writers. The participants were an Afghan journalist, a University teacher, a poet and writers from different provinces and of various ethnic backgrounds.
The main goals of this workshop are better access of journalists to weblogs and other digital media. Since Afghan print and internet media are of a very low quality, blogs could help the Afghan print media and become a milestone in the media situation in Afghanistan.

The Road MoreTraveled By -- [Belmont Club]
A video captured from the Taliban in Afghanistan illustrates the power of electronic warfare. The enemy is using a cell phone to trigger an IED on American convoys. But the Americans have their own wizardry. Their vehicles are blanketed by an electronic jamming bubble. Watch as the Taliban try to blow up American vehicles traveling along the strategic Pech River road without success. Not even praying to Allah helps.

Pech Valley Dco 1-32 10th Mountain

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Georgia says "very close" to war with Russia -- [Reuters]
BRUSSELS- Russia's deployment of extra troops in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia has brought the prospect of war "very close", a minister of ex-Soviet Georgia said on Tuesday.
Separately, in comments certain to fan rising tension between Moscow and Tbilisi, the "foreign minister" of the breakaway Black Sea region was quoted as saying it was ready to hand over military control to Russia.

Russia, US to sign commercial nuclear pact -- [Hot Air]
Who knew Vladimir Putin worried about his legacy? On his last day as Russian president, the US and Russia will sign an agreement which will open their commercial nuclear markets to each other after months of negotiation. Some in Congress oppose the deal, but will they have enough votes to reverse it?

With 22000 dead in cyclone, Myanmar isolated as Bush offers Navy ships -- [International Herald Tribune]
AP YANGON, Myanmar: Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta, where nearly 22000 people perished, remained largely cut off from the rest of the world Tuesday, four days after a cyclone unleashed winds, floods and high tidal waves on the densely populated region.

Former Iranian President Accuses Regime of Exporting Terrorism -- [Gateway Pundit]
Former Iranian President Khatami says the hardliner regime is exporting terror in the Middle East!
Khatami said the Iranian Republic is using terrorists to "sabotage" the region.
...Khatami said that exporting violence to other countries is "treason" against Islam.
The former president of Iran, Mohamad Khatami, accused the hardliner regime of sponsoring terrorists in the Middle East in a recent university speech.
Iran Focus and AFP reported:...

The internal debate over Iran's proxy war -- [TigerHawk]
Lest you think that American allegations that Iran is waging a proxy war in Iraq and elsewhere are an invention of the BusHitler neocons or David Petraeus, consider that Mohammad Khatami, Iran's former president, is leveling the same charge:

Interpol Confirms Authenticity Of Raul Reyes's Computer Files -- [Gateway Pundit]
...The Colombian National Ministry of Defense reported last month that authorities had seized 60 pounds of uranium that belonged to FARC after computers were captured.
but, , the fact that the information has now been confirmed as authentic is horrible news for Colombia's FARC supporting neighbors and US Democrats.
Here is a partial list of what Colombian investigators found on the FARC terror leader's computer:

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Morocco under high alert after a probable dry run -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
A few weeks ago, Algeria warned its Tunisian and Moroccan neighbors of a possible mega terror attack prepared by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Interestingly the newsletter The Croissant (subscriptions available for a small fee) reported a few days ago that an Algerian, aboard a powerful 4X4, sped on the esplanade of the Mosque of Hassan II in Casablanca. He managed to overcome all obstacles limiting traffic, causing a real panic

Islamist Forum Member Proposes Attacks On Saudi Royal Family -- [MEMRI]
On May 4, 2008, a member of the Islamist forum Al-Hesbah (hosted by ThePlanet.com Internet Services Inc., in Houston, TX) calling himself Al-Ashqar proposed attacks on Saudi royal palaces and the abducting and killing of members of the royal family.

NEFA Exclusive: Selected Responses From the Second Round of Q&A with Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
The NEFA Foundation has obtained a copy of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri’s second round of answers to some of the hundreds of questions recently submitted on extremist web forums by Al-Qaida supporters and other interested parties. Exclusive English translations of selected questions and answers are now available for download. When asked by one critic, “Is jihad only about killing and spilling blood, or are there other ways and means to reach the goals of jihad, without being repulsive”, al-Zawahiri demanded in reply, “if a criminal were to break into your house, hurt your family and kill them, steal your furniture, burn down your home, and then moved on to wreck the houses of your neighbors, would you deal with him gently in order to avoid becoming a member of a band of people who only seek revenge through bloodshed?”

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Operation Gratitude Celebrates Military Appreciation Month With Shipment of 350,000th Care Package -- [Operation Gratitude]
Operation Gratitude founder, Carolyn Blashek, and Director of Operations, Charlie Othold, traveled 9,000 miles to surprise an unknowing Soldier with the keys to a 2008 Jeep(R) Liberty at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Iraq on January 22. The gift of the Liberty was in celebration of Operation Gratitude's shipment of 300,000 care packages to troops deployed overseas.
Spc. Michael Gallagher, of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Washington, was the recipient of Operation Gratitude's special care package.
The Jeep(R) was donated by the Jeep brand. In a letter addressed to an "American Hero", John Plecha, Director -Jeep Marketing and Global Communications, said it was an honor to do something special for both a great organization and for the troops in
Iraq.

“The Sedition Report” -- [GOE]
Dear Pro-Troop Supporters:
I have some great news to share with you!! Please also pass along this information to others who will appreciate the good news.
As you know there has sadly been an increasing campaign of violence against military recruiting centers across the nation - conducted by anti-military radicals (who are erroneously referred to as “peace activists” by a sympathetic media). We at Move America Forward researched the vast array of these incidents and compiled them together in “The Sedition Report” which we provided to members of Congress and law enforcement.
Today Move America Forward’s legal team received an official response from the U.S. Department of Justice criminal division:

The Soldiers’ Angels Sewing Team Announces BLANKETS OF BELIEF -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Making sure America's deployed servicemen and women know...
We Believe in You!
Our goal is to send 180,000 HOMEMADE BLANKETS made with “love and belief in you” to our service members spending another holiday season in the war zones.
Will you please make just ONE?

Soldiers and Kids - We Need Toys -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
One thing our medics love to do is help care for the local kids. In many cases, the American military provides the only health care available for these people. And being American soldiers, they love to have small toys to give to the kids. These are a great ice-breaker, and every toy our soldiers pass out buys a lot of good-will among the local people.
We are looking for small toys to send to our medics. Hit the garage sales, get your kids' to clean out their closets, have a "toy drive" at your school - gently used items are fine.

MILITARY

President Bush Commemorates Military Spouse Day -- [Whitehouse.gov]
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Phil. I appreciate -- appreciate you and your band members being here today. Thanks for entertaining us here on the South Lawn of the White House. (Applause.) We are so glad you have come. We're honoring six recipients of the President's Volunteer Service Awards. And as we do so, we celebrate the contributions and achievements of our military spouses all across the country.

Sufferin' Sanchez -- [Intel Dump - Phil Carter]
DoD PhotoThis week's Time has an excerpt from retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez's new book, "Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story." Not surprisingly, given his past public speeches, Sanchez points a lot of fingers -- up at Rumsfeld and the White House, over at other generals, and even down at his subordinates. Guess he missed the part of general school where they teach command responsibility -- the principle that a commander is responsible for all his unit does or fails to do, period. (He's also ignoring Gen. Douglas MacArthur's dictum that old soldiers should just fade away.)

Suicidal GI Meme -- [Jules Crittenden]
Keeps marching on. U.S. government shrink reports that Iraq/Afghan war vets’ suicides may outstrip the death rate.
...It’s worth noting that for any group of 1.6 million American men, at the annual rate of 17.9:100,000, there are going to be nearly 300 suicides a year. Rates vary for different age groups and the women’s rate is significantly lower at 4.2:100,000. But I’d suggest that it’s beyond “quite possible” that the suicides will outstrip the combat deaths. Under normal circumstances, within the next 20 or 30 years or so, it sounds like a statistical certainty. This guy’s not offering a time frame, and in fairness, he’s probably suggesting deaths above and beyond the background noise of suicides any group this size can look forward to. Though, as we’ll see below, any group this size is subject to a good deal of PTSD, traumatic stress being a simple fact of life.
Unfortunately, the reporting on this issue, and apparently the word being put out by professionals, has been a tad tautological, if not sloppy.

Purple Hearts For Combat Fatigue -- [Strategy Page]
May 6, 2008: There are a growing number of U.S. military psychologists and medical officials that want to award troops who get PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) the Purple Heart medal. This is an award for physical wounds, and replaced earlier recognition (in the form of wound badges and such) in the 1930s.

WELCOME HOME

Fort McCoy, Wisconsin -- [Badgers Forward - home from Iraq]
After a long trip, I am safely at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin going through the demobilization process. Home soon.

Welcome Home "the ROCK!" - A Homecoming that SFC Matthew Blaskowski Would Be Proud Of -- [Blackfive]
Leta at From Cow Pastures to Kosovo has been working with Cheryl and Terry Blaskowski to set up a Welcome Home Party for the paratroopers of 2/503rd when they return from Afghanistan to their home base in Vicenza, Italy.

POLITICS

War protesters frustrated by apathy -- [Pittsburg Post Gazette]
...At the grassroots level, anti-war activists are also trying to keep the war in the public eye. Last month, nine protesters gathered in front of the Regional Enterprise Tower, Downtown, where U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey have offices.
"Please think about this. It's important," Lynne Flavin, 60, of Lawrenceville, told passersby. She held a blood red sign that said, "Support the Troops. End the War."
Few people gave more than a glance.
...Mr. O'Malley stood outside Mr. Doyle's Downtown office, wearing a Vietnam veteran hat and seven Obama buttons. He blamed last-minute organization efforts for the poor turnout.
As he and two other protesters waited, Maddie Smith, a student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, approached Mr. O'Malley and asked for a sign for her lawn in Brookline.
He gladly gave her one. He also gave her instructions: "Put it so it's facing traffic. Otherwise no one will see it."

Democrats Set To Defy Bush On War Bill -- [New York Times]
Defying President Bush, House Democrats are preparing to forge ahead with a war spending measure that would include extended unemployment assistance and new educational benefits for returning veterans.

More "White Hate" Discovered in Obama's Church Newsletters -- [Gateway Pundit]
Barack Obama announced yesterday on Meet the Press that he intends to continue attending Trinity United Church of Christ services after Reverend Wright retires in June.
So far, the media has not payed any attention to the racist America-hating literature distributed at the church.
But, that has not kept BizzyBlog from exposing the outrageous hateful articles included in the church newsletters.
Here is an article that appeared in the July 2005 newsletter.

Are We Getting Two for One? - Is Michelle Obama responsible for the Jeremiah Wright fiasco? -- [Salon.com]
...I direct your attention to Mrs. Obama's 1985 thesis at Princeton University. Its title (rather limited in scope, given the author and the campus) is "Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community." To describe it as hard to read would be a mistake; the thesis cannot be "read" at all, in the strict sense of the verb. This is because it wasn't written in any known language. Anyway, at quite an early stage in the text, Michelle Obama announces that she's much influenced by the definition of black "separationism" offered by Stokely Carmichael and Charles Hamilton in their 1967 screed Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America.

McCain on Judges -- [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
See "Bench Memos" for more. And McCainiac Sam Brownback spoke to the "Campaign Spot" about the speech yesterday.
What McCain is presumably addressing, of course, is not just differences between him and the Democrats, but conservative concerns. Like the Gang of 14, about which Mark Levin & Andy McCarthy wrote earlier this year:

THE MEDIA

Stephen King At Odds With Army Over Suggestion That "Only Illiterates Join the Service" -- [WUSA9.com] HT: Mark Seavey
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) - A recent comment by Stephen King during a lecture to high school seniors suggesting that those who can't read can join the Army has riled up the military.
King told a group of high schoolers at a recent Library of Congress lecture "If you can read you can walk into a job later on. If you don't, then you've got the Army, Iraq - I don't know"
His depiction of army soldiers as illiterate drew a strongly worded response from the U.S. Army.
"America?s Soldiers are proudly serving and fighting for us all. We can be proud of our Soldiers? selfless service, their skill and their ingenuity. They certainly are role models for every high-school student in America considering a noble career ? and many book authors."
Local soldiers were also offended by the comments, calling them elitist and insensitive.
VIDEO HERE

Writer Stephen King: If You Can't Read, You'll End Up in the Army or Iraq -- [NewsBusters]
Remember shortly before Election Day 2006 when Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) suggested that if you don't get a good education, "you get stuck in Iraq" (video available here)?
Well, last month, famed horror author Stephen King was speaking in front of a group of high school students at the Library of Congress, and he virtually made the exact same statement.
For those that can bear it, what follows is another in a long line of liberal media members bashing the military

E-mail Instructions: 'Hi, Noel—Stephen King Says to Shut Up and I Agree' -- [NewsBusters]
You really can't make this stuff up!
Early Monday morning, NewsBusters informed readers about a truly disgraceful comment made last month by famed horror author St