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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, other blogs, and the mainstream media. 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. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)
The Iraq story: how troops see it
This comes from yesterday’s Christian Science Monitor and is a must read if you want to understand the reality of the day to day situation in Iraq. ...
...Yet as perceptions about Iraq have neared a tipping point in Congress, some soldiers and marines worry that their own stories are being lost in the cacophony of terror and fear. They acknowledge that their experience is just that - one person's experience in one corner of a war-torn country. Yet amid the terrible scenes of reckless hate and lives lost, many members of one of the hardest-hit units insist that they saw at least the spark of progress.
"We know we made a positive difference,"
I'm Reporting Progress That I Saw in Iraq, Not Perfection" -- [Media Blog]
Sen. Joe Lieberman followed up on his Wall St. Journal op-ed with a solid performance on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. One of the most interesting exchanges occurred when Blitzer asked Lieberman how he could be so upbeat about Iraq in the face of stories like this one and this one. Lieberman responded:
The New Old Plan -- [Cool Blue Blog]
It appears that finally, after much haranging and bellicose behavior, Democrats are at last on the same page with the Administration. Or at least columnist David Broder thinks so
It has taken a long time, but the Democrats finally have come close to defining a sensible common ground on the issue of Iraq....
After noting that Democrats have been all over the map on the war...
'Quitting is Not an Exit Strategy' -- [Mary Katharine Ham - Hugh Hewitt]
The Rumsfeld defense briefing was a lively one this morning, with Rummy getting raw on a couple of reporters with that "don't get stuck on stupid" tone he gets sometimes. His comments are all over the cable news networks right now, but "quitting is not an exit strategy" is the quote of the moment.
Awaiting the elections with worries, dreams and hope... -- [Iraq the Model - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Baghdad looks almost like one huge billboard now that one can easily get distracted by them from his original destination! As to drivers, these posters can cause serious troubles if a driver wanted to read each one (or set) of them while driving.
Ramzi Clark and Saddam -- [Hammorabi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
The fact that needs no trial at is that Saddam Hussein has committed genocides against the Iraqis and the neighbors of Iraq as well as many other people. In fact no need for a long trial for a very well known criminals like SH and his fellows.
For the Iraqis we know very well those who took our money and oil ...
Saddam's Shop of Horrors -- [Kevin Sites - Journalist embedded in Iraq]
Torture and execution were staples of the Iraqi army's Red Security headquarters in northern Iraq. Now the building is a monument to Kurdish resilience
SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq -- It is a most startling image: a life-sized figure of a Kurdish rebel hanging by his wrists from a metal hook, his arms bound behind his back -- a position intended to use the prisoner's weight to dislocate his shoulders.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005 -- [ballinbaghdad - in Iraq]
Sometimes it's just too much, and just when you think that all is lost and you are doubting why you are over here.....a complete stranger sends you an e-mail out of the blue...for those of you who were on the phone with me last night.....you know...Yesterday was the worse day of my life....What timing? God works in mysterious ways. Last night I showed a side of myself I've never shown my friends....I hope you don't think I'm crazy...or wierd....
Subject: I Didn't Know
Of course I didn't know. How could I?
Did you know that 47 countries have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?
Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?
Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools a
The Rock -- [Peace like a River]
In this post, I touched briefly on the sobering number of casualties involving Humvees, and how that vehicle is not an adequate vehicle for the environment in Iraq or Afghanistan. I listed the casualties from Nov 1 through Nov 8 involving Humvees. Here are casualties since then, where Humvees were specified as being involved.
Old polls. -- [Jack Army]
They've been up for a long time now. Time for new ones.
What are your thoughts on these two polls?
Thoughts of A Soldier's Mom in a Time of War... -- [A Soldier's Mom]
As we approach the redeployment in the next few months, I have begun reflecting on these past 10 months. I have never been to war but I have sent a child to war.
...And for our entire family and the friends of our family -- and even the readers of this blog -- the rest of our lives will be forever altered by knowing how close we came.
Smoggy Baghdad Day -- [The Will to Exist - in Iraq]
On the way to take care of some business, I got someone to get a shot of me on the water in Baghdad. There are always fires burning in this city, and the air quality is far from healthy
1st Camel Spider I Saw in Iraq -- [Casper's Calamity - in Iraq]
One night at about 2 AM I was spending some leisure time with friends after a long hard day. This bugger caught my eye as it scurried back and forth across a sidewalk in the dimly lit area. I grabbed a friends flashlight, zeroed in and ...
Congratulations Iraqi Soccer! -- [Hammorabi - an Iraqi in Iraq]
Iraq 1 Kuwait 0
Congratulation to the Iraqi football team and all Iraqis!
This is the first time Iraq and Kuwait play since 1990. In the past Iraq and Kuwait football games used to be the most excited one in the Gulf region. It seems to be...
Overlooked Iraq Redeployment -- (Washington Times)...Donald Devine
Why does no one know 30 U.S. bases in Iraq have been turned over to Iraqis with American forces withdrawn to more remote and defensible fortifications?
IRAQ: RUMSFELD BANS THE WORD 'INSURGENTS' -- (AKI)
Washington, 30 Nov. - The US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld has banned the use of the word 'insurgents' when referring to the militants operating in Iraq. "Over the weekend I thought to myself. 'You know, that gives them a greater legitimacy than they seem to merit," he told journalists during a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday. "It was an epiphany," he said, throwing his hands in the air.
Bush: Iraqi Forces in State of Readiness -- (AP)
WASHINGTON - President Bush is trying to convince skeptical Americans that Iraqi forces are increasingly able to protect their nation but the president is not ready to set dates for withdrawing U.S. troops. In a speech Wednesday at the U.S. Naval Academy, Bush was detailing the training of Iraqi security forces and talking about the territories Iraqis control nearly three years after the U.S.-led invasion. The White House also was issuing a 35-page plan titled "Our National Strategy for Victory in Iraq."
Bush to lay out Iraq 'victory strategy' -- (The Australian)
US President George W. Bush was to unveil a "strategy for victory in Iraq" today, hoping to convince a sceptical US public two and a half years after the war began that h...
Nowhere to run -- (The Guardian)
After what has been described as the most foolish war in over 2,000 years, is there a way out of Iraq for President Bush, asks Brian Whitaker
There is a remarkable article in the latest issue of the American Jewish weekly, Forward. It calls for President Bush to be impeached and put on trial "for misleading the American people, and launching the most foolish war since Emperor Augustus in 9 BC sent his legions into Germany and lost them".
Iraqi Cauldron -- (New York Sun)...NIBRAS KAZIMI (Iraqi) HT :Alphabet City
Three ingredients are necessary for failure in Iraq, and all three are being poured into the bubbling cauldron that is Baghdad at this very moment. The recipe includes Ba'athists believing that they have been given a seat at the table and thus have achieved a prelude to total victory, and the Islamists supposing that if they cinch these next elections, then they will get their theocracy. The third element is ...
Analysts Foresee Bleak Road Ahead in Iraq -- (AP)
Two senior Army analysts who in 2003 accurately foretold the turmoil that would be unleashed by the U.S. invasion of Iraq offer a bleak assessment in a new study of what now lies ahead in that bloodied land....
Japan 'to extend mission in Iraq' -- (BBC News)
Japan is set to extend its military involvement in Iraq for up to another year, Japanese media have reported. | The country's non-combat mission is set to expire on 14 December, but the cabinet is poi
U.S. Military Covertly Pays To Run Stories In Iraqi Press -- (Los Angeles Times)...Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi
As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq.
Hillary Clinton Defends Pro-War Vote -- (AP)
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday defended her vote to authorize war in Iraq amid growing unease among liberal Democrats who could determine the potential 2008 presidential candidate's future....
General: Americans Must Stop Iraqi Abusers -- (AP)
WASHINGTON -- The nation's top military man, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, said American troops in Iraq have a duty to intercede and stop abuse of prisoners by Iraqi security personnel....
Cheney accused on prisoner abuse -- (BBC News)
Col Wilkerson has been critical of Mr Cheney in the past
A top aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell has launched a stinging attack on US Vice-President Dick Cheney over abuse of prisoners by US troops.
Col Lawrence Wilkerson accused Mr Cheney of ignoring a decision by President Bush on the treatment of prisoners in the war on terror.
Fixing a School -- [Miserable Donuts]
Deh Qadzi ("Place of the Judge") was a bit of a problem area for us. The HIG (Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin) had been whispering to the folks there that the Americans didn't like them because they were devout Muslims, they have never done anything for you, etc. We had been shot at from the area more than once too. One time when we asked the Parwan Provincal governor if...
In Case You Missed It: Senator Sieve
From Opinion Journal's Political Diary -- [GOP Blog - John Fund]
Is Senator Harry Reid all that swift when it comes to U.S. Intelligence matters? Last Wednesday, the Minority Leader appeared on KRNV-TV's "Nevada Newsmakers" program and dropped a stunning revelation. He had been informed just that day that Osama bin Laden was killed in the giant Pakistan earthquake last month. "I heard that Osama bin Laden died in the earthquake, and if that's the case, I certainly wouldn't wish anyone harm, but if that's the case, that's good for the world."
Karzai urges Omar to speak on murder -- (Dawn)
| KANDAHAR, Nov 29: Taliban leader Mullah Omar should confirm if the group was behind the murder of an Indian worker last week so Afghanistan can know its ‘enemy’, President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesd...
Karzai warns Afghan poppy farmers of world backlash -- (AFP)
| KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned farmers Tuesday to stop growing opium poppies which produce heroin or the world would unite against them as it had against terroris...
From Tehran -- [Afghan Lord - an Afghani in Iran]
I am in Tehran nowadays. It is my first time visiting Tehran the capital of Islamic Republic of Iran. A nice city with a nice figures, good architectures and nice folks.
...now when I am going to read news about military or checking my Flickr photos I can't go inside. Suddenly a message appears: “This is restricted due to Un-Islamic issues in it!!!!!”
...Against all enemies, foreign and domestic... -- [The World From 1250 Feet AGL. - in Qatar]
Today, I signed on that dotted line again. I remain in the inventory of the United States Army for the next 5 years.
...I know this will sound sappy and whatever, but who cares... I love the Army. I can not imagine a greater life than that of a Soldier. Just like every job - it has it's ups and downs, but I would not trade places with any civilian for anything. My country is still embattled in a global war on terror, and the coming years will prove to be some of the most difficult in our nation's history. We have to prove to these terrorists that we will not be bullied - that we will continue to fight them until this war has been won.
Merkel urges action on terrorism and economy -- (Reuters)
BERLIN - Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed on Wednesday not to be blackmailed by kidnappers holding a German in Iraq and said terrorism was a threat to core values of freedom, tolerance and respect.
At the outset of her first major speech to parliament, Merkel focused on the kidnapping of a German woman who was seized in Iraq on Friday and has been threatened with death.
Iran Buying Satellite Know-How -- (Washington Times)...Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press
Iran's space agency is trying to snap up technology from abroad as fast as possible for its satellite program, fearing the West will seek to impose restrictions like those put on the Iranian nuclear program.
Insurgent Cross-Pollination A Serious Threat -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
It is now clear that the phenomenon much feared by the intelligence community and military in fighting global terrorism is now well-advanced--the cross-pollination of techniques and strategies of different groups, able to share lethal technological innovations across national boundries to comrades battling elsewhere. The Washington Post on Monday carried a lengthy story on how tactics from Iraqi jihadists are showing up in Afghanistan.
Someone elses Rant -- [Way Down In Kosovo - in Kosovo]
Okay, this one isn't mine, but I could never EVER say what I think better than this. Posting this is my way of affirming to all and sundry that I firmly refuse to apologize for Al Qaeda or other terrorist prisoners being fed better in prison than I ever was in the field, getting to have showers a whole hell of a lot more than I ever did back in the day, and who probably get a hell of a lot more sleep than I ever did. This is awesome.
Desert Protectors Meet Miss Al Qaeda -- [Blackfive]
(click on thumbnail for larger version) Ubaydi-A suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist was captured in an Ubaydi hospital dressed in women's clothing. The terrorist was discovered by a Desert Protector, specially trained scout unit of soldiers recruited from the Al Qa'im region. Desert Protectors are
Disgusting -- [Balloon Juice]
...Excellent. In other words, according to the rocket scientist who wrote this, we need to authorize torture so we can beat people relentlessly for four days until they confess to ‘war crimes,’ or other such useful and ‘accurate’ information.
Zarqawi’s extended family and clan disown Al Qaeda in Iraq leader -- (Khaleej Times/AP)
AMMAN - More than 370 members of the clan of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi joined his family on Tuesday in publishing a full-page letter in Jordan’s newspapers that disowns the most notorious terrorist in Iraq.
FRANCE: MPS APPROVE NEW ANTI-TERROR BILL -- (AKI)
Paris, 29 Nov. - French MPs on Thursday approved interior minister Nicholas Sarkozy's new anti-terror bill that will boost video surveillance in France, impose stiffer prison terms for convicted terrorists, and increase the amount of time terror suspects may be held without charges. The bill must be approved by France's Senate to become law. Sarkozy says the new measures will have no effect on civil liberties, but critics argue they may be used to keep closer...
Sidestepping Courts in the War on Terrorism --(LA Times)
U.S. seeks leverage by moving detainees or changing their status before scheduled hearings. Critics call it legal dodge ball.
WASHINGTON — The timing of the government's indictment last week of terror suspect Jose Padilla, after holding him more than three years without charges, seemed hardly coincidental.
The Painful Goodbye -- [Andi's Worl]
Yesterday, my husband walked out the front door to begin a long journey that will put him in a land far away from home, and far away from me. I will not lie - it hurts. It hurts badly. I can't seem to find my stiff upper lip, I've talked God's ear off and asked repeatedly that he keep my soldier safe. I'm sure he will, but my heart is broken shattered nonetheless.
It's impossible to stay strong at the outset of a deployment. You look around the house and there are reminders of the new void everywhere. It's not what I do see that hurts so badly, photos and memories we've created over the years, but rather, what I don't see. His wallet and beret aren't on the ledge in the foyer, and his boots are not under the coffee table.
Mail Call -- [Updates from Your CWFour - in Iraq]
After I got back from R & R I found that I had quite a bit of mail waiting for me. A veritable stack-o-mail. Most of the boxes and letters were from strangers.
My Aunt Marjorie has listed me with an organization called the Falmouth Military Support Group, in Massachusetts.
Do We Get What Is Sent. -- [Ask The Soldiers - in Iraq]
The question: we see a lot of links out there for supporting you guys with various small items that we think yall would appreciate (say maybe some tabasco sauce). Do these items ever make it to you?
Iraq Pictures - 30 November 2005 -- [Iraq Pictures- in Iraq]
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Soldiers with the 92nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Group, 3rd Infantry Division pose in their new college football jerseys. More than 40 jerseys were donated by
Stockings for Soldiers UPDATES! -- [Keystone Soldiers]
Thank you so much for everyone who has sent us stockings and stuffing items for them! We have received so many packages in the last few days that we have had little time to update you on our progress. The elves here in Fleetwood have been working night and day to get everything shipped so that the troops have it in time for Christmas.
We will post a list of the names or organizations that we have received items from in the comments of this story.
Thank you for your service ... -- [Proud infantry Wife]
I got this email yesterday that brought tears to my eyes and then this morning it was posted on a military support group web site I am a member of, so I took it as a sign that I too should pass it on.
This one is for you Greg and Brian as you prepare to return home to families anxious to hold you in their arms once again.
The Myth of the Underprivileged Soldier -- [Thunder Run]
Tim Kane and Jay Carafano, both military veterans, and research fellows at the Heritage Foundation published an editorial in the Sunday November 27th USA Today taking on the myth that military recruiters prey on poor, disadvantaged and under-educated youths in an effort to swell the ranks and meet quotas. Bob Herbert, columnist with the New York Times continually writes, “…likely there would be no war if rich kids had to fight.”
How I stopped worrying and learned to love white phosphorus -- [Counter Column]
WP is a useful tool for the control of fires on the modern battlefield. Without it, we would have to use HE for spotting rounds. HE has a vastly greater lethal radius. HE fills the air with red hot metal. If it hits you, it will burn the crap out of you.
The guys who get hit with fragmentation rounds will tell you. They’ll cuss up a storm and tell you “it burns, it f-cking burns!”
Moveon.org Continues to Cater to the Clueless -- [Generation Why]
Moveon.org tries to exploit our brave men and women by producing a commercial about American soldiers stuck in Iraq over Thanksgiving.
Here's the video... and the heartwarming photo of the soldiers... is a picture of British soldiers!
Biden Hypocritical In Opposition To Alito -- [GOP Blog]
On Fox News Sunday Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) said of Judge Samuel Alito "clearly, clearly, you'll find a lot of people, including me, willing to do whatever they can to keep him off the court." Biden was upset over Alito’s dissagreement with the 1962 Supreme Court case Baker vs. Carr, which Alito expressed in a 1985 job application.
DNC1 Virus Mutates, Scientists Say -- [Camp Katrina]
The DNC1 strain of moonbat liberalism seen in Democrat cases in certain cities has mutated as compared with strains found in other parts of the country, scientists say.
Cindy Sheehan Claims Photos Falsely Implied Her Book Signing was a Flop -- [ROFA Six]
Cindy is irked! She claims that photos of her sitting at her bare table waiting for someone to come by and have her sign her book misrepresent reality. If there is anyone who knows about misrepresentation of reality it has to be Cindy ...
Excellent Washington Times Editorial on Bush’s Amnesty in Disguise Program -- [Jammed Gun]
Well, it is good to see that one prominent newspaper in this country gets it … about illegal immigration, that is – and about the lunacy of the Bush-Kennedy-McCain-Cornyn-style of “guest worker” program that will legitimize, recognize, and reward lawbreakers.
Supreme Court to Get Abortion Rights Case -- (AP)
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court will consider its first abortion rights case under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, with an unpredictable outcome because of the court's changing makeup. The stakes are significant in the dispute over a New Hampshire law requiring minors to tell a parent before ending a pregnancy, although the case does not challenge the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that said abortion is a fundamental constitutional right.
Bush Cites Tools to Fight Illegal Immigration -- (AP)
EL PASO, Texas -- President Bush on Tuesday watched border patrol techniques ranging from men on horseback to infrared cameras that help keep watch in the dark, and he said the country needs more of both to keep out illegal immigrants....
SUCO to pay Sheehan $11,000 -- (The Daily Star Online)
ONEONTA — The State University College at Oneonta has booked a Fox News Channel military analyst to counter a lecture tonight by anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.
Lt. Col. Scott Rutter, who retired from the Army in November 2003 after leading a mechanized infantry battalion into Baghdad, will give a presentation sponsored by the student-run College Union Activities Council at noon Friday in the Hunt Union Square.
...Sheehan is getting paid $11,000 for the hour-long talk, while Rutter will receive his standard fee of $600 for his presentation, Dromgoole said.
Former President's Son May Run for Senate -- (AP)
LAS VEGAS -- The son of former President Jimmy Carter has launched a Web site soliciting donations for a possible run for U.S. Senate....
Bush says congressman taking bribes 'outrageous' -- (Reuters)
EL PASO, Texas - U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday verbally slapped a congressman from his Republican party for taking bribes, calling it "outrageous."
Hastert Wants 'Christmas,' Tree Together -- (AP)
WASHINGTON -- If it's a spruce tree adorned with 10,000 lights and 5,000 ornaments displayed on the Capitol grounds in December, it's a Christmas tree and that's what it should be called, says House Speaker Dennis Hastert....
Officials Decry Use of Outdated Gitmo Images -- {Defend America}
U.S. NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Nov. 29, 2005 — Leaders at the U.S. detention facility for enemy combatants here wonder why media outlets continue to use outdated images of defunct facilities to accompany news reports about the base.
Not Funny…Trivializing Saddam’s Horrors -- [Talisman Gate - an Iraqi columist at New York Sun]
The Washington Post ran this cartoon by Tom Toles on its editorial page today. It has the ‘lawyer’ asking Saddam: “Tell us about your death squads and secret police and torture and executions…We need some tips on getting this country under control…[bottom-right] If you cooperate, we may let you off with the presidency.”
I got to thinking that the Washington Post would never run a flippant cartoon featuring Adolph Hitler, but somehow with Saddam...
A Puzzling Response to "The Freedoms We Fight For" -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
A reader, Peter Murray, has a truly bizarre response to "The Freedoms We Fight For" (see my article here and my blog entry about it here):
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (and homecoming pics) -- [Ryan and Christy - Ryan just returned home from Iraq]
Somebody's 24 today.
Happy birthday, Ryan! Glad this year's better than the last.
I Fought the Law and I Won -- [Incoherant Ramblings - in Kosovo]
Ok, for those of you who have been curious for the last couple of days, my blog was down. This was in respect to a direct order I recieved from my Chain of Command. It was also in regards to me posting pictures when I was ordered not too. Now, granted, I probably shouldn't have posted the pictures and I posted them anyway, but from my understanding of military regulations, and my research on it, it seemed to me that my posting the pictures was not in violation of any military regulation, other then a disobeyment of a direct order that I thought was not entirely lawful.
Bad Blogs, Burned Bridges, and More -- [Euphoric Reality]
The blogosphere is aflurry with the Weblog Awards, the OSM scandal, and the typical interblog chatter and clique drama that seems to never stop. Now on the scene are the Bad Blog Awards, hosted by Beth of MVRWC.
Some of the categories include “Worst email spamming link whore”, “Worst comment link-dropping link whore”, “Most self-worshipping blogger, “Blogger who takes him/herself MUCH too seriously”, and
Texas Guard Unit Heading Home -- [Target Centermass]
My dear friend William J. Hartmann, my former tank crewmate and close buddy of several years, prepped for deployment to Iraq. He served there. Now, he and his comrades from the Texas Army National Guard’s 36th Brigade are honorably returning home.
The Dallas Morning-News recently covered this deployment and ...
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
