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Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and other sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.
Pack your bags for Baghdad? Iraq looks to tourism -- [AP]
BAGHDAD (AP) — Someone had fun tinkering with the airline board at the old, disused terminal at Baghdad International Airport. It advertises a "special flight" on Japan Airlines from Basra to Sydney, Australia, while a flight from Baghdad to Mexico City is "delayed."
In reality, Iraq has been a no-go zone for most civilian aircraft for almost two decades. First, there were U.N. sanctions after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Then U.S.-led forces toppled the dictator in 2003, and violence engulfed the country.
Yet, now that insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed have ebbed over the past year, Iraq's government is beginning to promote tourism.
Basra - here's the good news story -- [Times Online]
The city is firmly under the grip of Iraq's new security forces, and normal life is returning
There is an interesting piece of graffiti on a bridge near Basra. A fleeing militiaman has scrawled “We'll be back”; underneath an Iraqi soldier has scribbled in reply “And we'll be waiting for you”.
Foreign Relations: Maliki and the US -- [BlackFive - Grim]
There is one final matter to make it real: our own influence. The Iraqis must see that their government is in fact theirs. It cannot be a puppet; it must be theirs in fact.
Here, then, is the concept: Iraq must appear to "win" in the negotiations with the United States. In public, Maliki must appear strong and confident, able to command even America within the bounds of Iraq.
TIME: The War Cannot Be Lost! -- [BlackFive - Grim]
...Greyhawk declared the war was won in the fall (and he was there -- I know, because I was there with him). Michael Yon declared it was won last week, which seems to have rung the bell for the major media. Suddenly, 'anybody knows' the war 'cannot be lost.'
This is an astonishing turnaround by the major media, and one they simply don't want to acknowledge. That very refusal is the issue with Klein and Sen. McCain. What Sen. McCain said to which Klein objected was that Sen. Obama would rather lose a war than a presidential campaign.
On Patrol -- [Ventura County Star - Scott Hadly - embed in Iraq]
...Then as we marched these guys out on a road we pass three fresh holes where IEDs blew up trucks including the one that day. It was a huge hole like 10 by 10. One of the detainees swirls his finger next to his head as if to say "that's crazy shit" and the other guy looses it. Starts panicing, and goes into convulsions. Falls into the road. We were all really, really beat nd close to heat exhaustion cause it'd been six hours or so of this. Anyway I think, oh shit he's going to die so I go over and start using the rest of my water to try and cool him off and then he starts doing this serious jerking around on the ground to the point where it was pretty clear he was faking.
"Get up mother fucker" they're yelling. "Get up or we're going to drag you." needless to say the guy got up and we made it to the MRAPs and turned the three over to the Iraqis.
I'm glad I'm not a soldier.
Alusi Survives Yet Another Assassination Attempt -- [Talisman Gate - Iraqi blogger]
Liberal Iraqi MP Mithal Alusi’s family home in West Baghdad's Hai Al-Jam’ia neighborhood was reduced to rubble this morning after terrorists had rigged the structure with explosives in an apparent assassination attempt.
...Is Senator Obama going to make time during his brief ‘fact-finding’ stopover in Baghdad today for the likes of
Alusi, who survives as a living testament to the tremendous sacrifices paid by Iraqis for the cause of democracy? Does Obama even know of Alusi?
Doubt it. I wonder how many Americans know of him either.
Obama's Fact-Fudging Mission in Iraq -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqi blogger]
...The state-owned Al-Sabah quoted a senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, as saying: “The change in the prime minister’s position has to do with his own perception of the political developments in the United States…Maliki thinks that Obama is most likely to win in the presidential election and that he will withdraw his country’s troops from Iraq as he pledged in his campaign.” The official added that Maliki sees that “he’s got to take preemptive steps before Obama gets to the White House.”
Obama Admits Surge Worked, and DEMOCRATS Are Responsible -- [Flopping Aces]
What we have to do is to begin a phased redeployment to send a clear signal to the Iraqi government that we are not going to be there in perpetuity. Now, it will — we should be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in. I welcome the genuine reductions of violence that have taken place, although I would point out that much of that violence has been reduced because there was an agreement with tribes in Anbar province — Sunni tribes — who started to see, after the Democrats were elected in 2006, you know what, the Americans may be leaving soon, and we are going to be left very vulnerable to the Shi’as. We should start negotiating now. That’s how you change behavior.
Katie Couric In Amman Interviews Obama- McCain Weighs In
-Couric: But talking microcosmically, did the surge, the addition of 30,000 additional troops ... help the situation in Iraq?
-Obama: Katie, as … you've asked me three different times, and I have said repeatedly that there is no doubt that our troops helped to reduce violence. There's no doubt.
-Couric: But yet you're saying … given what you know now, you still wouldn't support it … so I'm just trying to understand this.
MEDIA IGNORES Al-Anbar Sheik's Warning to Obama -- [Gateway Pundit]
It's really strange how this warning was missed in most of the media reports today.
Funny how that happens.
Obama sips his tea in al Anbar as the brave sheiks from al-Anbar warn him of his dangerous plans for Iraq.
That Was Counterterrorism, Senator -- [Threats Watch - Steve Shippert]
Presidential Candidate Obama’s statements in and about Iraq in the past 24 hours have been nothing less than shameless and disgraceful. While we strive to avoid political discussion at ThreatsWatch, criticism of his words transcends rank political partisanship if for no other reason than his claims are simply and flatly untrue, made in a war zone, during a time of war and while running to become the Commander in Chief of US Military Forces. This simply cannot stand unchallenged.
Don't Call Us - We'll Call You, Al-Rishawi -- [Threats Watch - Steve Shippert]
The leader of the Iraq Awakening is still waiting for that call from an interested US broadcast news organization. Crickets.
Yesterday in That Was Counterterrorism, Senator, I directly challenged Senator Obama’s assertions about ‘The Surge,’ specifically as it related to what is today the Iraq Awakening: Iraqis who took to their own defense against al-Qaeda - and for some time, without our proper support.
As much as a splash as the senator’s words made throughout the media - whether praise, echoes or scorn - it should be striking that no one in the American media circus following him through Iraq and the rest of the Middle East were inclined to perhaps speak to the leader of the Iraq Awakening.
Was the War Worth It? -- [Comm. mag. - Peter Wehner]
...American irresolution emboldened jihadists, which is why if we prevail in Iraq after having sustained a very high cost in blood and treasure, it will be an achievement of enormous consequence -- a victory of American will and purpose as well as a key military victory.
"The Defeat Of Al Qaeda" -- [The Daily Dish - Andrew Sullivan]
...Whether we could have found a less traumatizing, expensive, fatal path past Saddam will be for historians to judge. But it is worth remembering, as Pete somehow omits, that the fundamental casus belli - the WMD threat from Saddam - was false. And we removed Saddam over five years ago. The war since is what we are discussing.
So then the next argument: ...
Obama flaunts his ignorance about the surge -- [Protien Wisdom - Karl]
Jake Tapper provides a nice money quote from Barack Obama’s interview with Terry Moran of ABC News:
In Baghdad yesterday, after a day spent witnessing the reduction in violence in Iraq, Obama was asked by ABC News’ Terry Moran if he was wrong..
“Here is what I will say,” Obama said, “I think that, I did not anticipate, and I think that this is a fair characterization, the convergence of not only the surge but the Sunni awakening in which a whole host of Sunni tribal leaders decided that they had had enough with Al Qaeda, in the Shii’a community the militias standing down to some degrees. So what you had is a combination of political factors inside of Iraq that then came right at the same time as terrific work by our troops. Had those political factors not occurred, I think that my assessment would have been correct.”
The problem with this answer is ...
Barack Obama Oversteps His Bounds in Iraq
Brown signals end of military role in Iraq -- [Financial Times]
British troops could begin their long-awaited withdrawal from Iraq early next year after Gordon Brown on Tuesday predicted “a fundamental change of mission” in the first months of 2009.
Troops must stay in Iraq 'to train its forces' -- [Independent]
Gordon Brown should abandon any hope of pulling all British troops out of Iraq before the next general election, MPs say in a report published today.
Baghdad Beauty Salons Back in Business -- [IWPR - Duraed Salman and Nasr Khadhim in Baghdad ]
Once the target of extremists, beauty shops are slowly re-opening in the capital.
In the heart of al-Salihiya, the most stable neighbourhood in Baghdad, a large sign reads, “Rasha’s Salon for Women”.
The salon is just four months old, a symbol of a new, more secure Baghdad. Business is buzzing, particularly after the owner, Rasha Amin, 28, advertised her salon with flyers and got neighbouring shop owners to help drum up trade.
Oil refinery fuels Al Anbar forward -- [Regimental Combat Team 5 - Lance Cpl. Paul Torres]
AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq - As the doors of the K3 Oil Refinery open, so does the future of the Iraqi people. Members of the Al Anbar government gathered to celebrate the Haditha oil refinery's resumption of production for the f...
The Eye of Horus -- [Castle Argghhh! - CW4BillT - in Iraq]
...This morning I was heading for my shortcut through the blast wall between my hootch and the main drag -- I got two steps from the opening in the wall and a sparrow flew from behind the wall and landed in the opening. I got one step from the opening and a falcon appeared from nowhere, pounced the sparrow -- and then looked at me. He snapped his head up, our eyes locked for less than a second and he vanished back behind the wall. Those amazing black eyes had enabled him to see the mottled dust-brown sparrow against the mottled dust-brown earth from hundreds of feet away.
From G.I. in Afghanistan - "We got more thanks from the Dallas cowboy Cheerleaders" than from Senator Obama -- [BlackFive]
This is from a USAF friend in Afghanistan:
As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand, he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.
Taliban leader surrenders after he hears British special forces are 'closing in' -- [Daily Mail]
The most senior Taliban commander in Afghanistan's wartorn Helmand province has given himself up because he feared being killed by British special forces.
The news will be a massive blow to insurgent forces.
Mullah Rahim surrendered to authorities in Pakistan, the Ministry of Defence said last night.
Rahim - thought to be one of the five main Taliban commanders - is reported to have handed himself in to Pakistani police near the border and is being held in the town of Quetta.
Panjshir governor gives keynote speech at grand opening for his Alma Mater -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101]
PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (July 22, 2008) — More than 600 villagers and students attended the grand opening of the 16-room Obdara High School, Wednesday, in Obdara, Anaba District, Panjshir. Gov. Hajji Bahlol, Panjshir's provincial governor, was the keynote speaker. Not only is Bahlol the Provincial Gover...
UNODC declares Konar province nearly-poppy free -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101]
ASAD ABAD, Afghanistan (July 20, 2008) — The UN Office of Drugs and Crime recently declared Konar province to be “nearly-poppy free” in 2006 and 2007.
Peace negotiations begin with Taliban in Hangu -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
The Pakistani government indicates further operations, such as the limited Khyber and Hangu offensives, are in store. Tribal elders deny the Taliban are a problem.
Taking Great Care from the Air -- [Abu Muqawama]
Thomas Shanker writes today in the NY Times about the great pains taken by Coalition Forces in Afghanistan to avoid civilian casualties in planned air strikes.
It had taken the American military many days to identify, track and target the senior Taliban officer. But the risk of civilian deaths was deemed too high. Air Force commanders, working with military lawyers, aborted the mission. The Taliban leader escaped.
UK soldiers kill Taleban leader -- [BBC]
British forces are part of a campaign targeting the leadership of the Taleban
British troops in Afghanistan have delivered a "shattering blow" to the Taleban by killing one of its senior leaders, the Ministry of Defence says.
The New Taliban Tactics Have a Catch -- [Strategy Page]
July 22, 2008: The Afghan government believes that key leaders in the Pakistani army and intelligence service (the ISI) are still making deals, some of them secret, with the Taliban and Islamic radical groups, to make it easier for Afghanistan to be attacked, while providing Pakistan some immunity from terrorism. This kind of cynical arrangement is a staple of politics, especially in the Moslem world.
Now, I can retire... -- [THE CI-ROLLER DUDE]
When I was deployed to Bosnia, there was a person I was looking for. We found a few of his underlings, but I was always a little late on actaully catching the boss. I spent several months there and I failed...but I knew someday he'd be caught. Now that he's been arrested, I can retire from the Army National Guard in peace...the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, the former leader of Bosnian Serbs who is accused of war crimes, made my day.
Canada’s SHAME -- [So Crunchy]
Harper government deports US War Resister Robin Long
Against the wishes of Canadians and Canada’s Parliament, the federal government deported U.S. Iraq war resister Robin Long to the United States, where he faces punishment for refusing to participate in the Iraq War.
Robin is currently being held at the Buckley City Jail near Fort Lewis, Washington.
A Russian "Greenlight" to Attack Iran? -- [Confederate Yankee]
That is one intriguing interpretation of today's disclosure that Iran would be getting the long range Russian surface-to-air missile system known as the S-300PMU-1 (SA-20), and that the system would be deployable in as soon as six months from their expected September arrival.
U.S. Congressional Representatives' Stance on Jihad and the War of Ideas -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Last week, there was an interesting development in the U.S. House of Representatives that will give Americans a clear view as to exactly where their individual representatives
Winning the War with Islamic Fanaticism -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
...The answer to terrorism—whether it is perpetuated by Palestinian Sunni Islamic fundamentalists, Lebanese Iranian-inspired Shiite fundamentalists, or the fanatic Iranian ayatollahs themselves—is to fight it vigorously, just like we fought the Japanese kamikaze pilots at the end of World War II. The allies didn’t flinch when attacked by the kamikazes—we didn’t call for, or agree to, a truce at that point. We fought with one goal in mind: total defeat of the enemy.
Terrorists In Los Angeles, Update III -- [Flopping Aces]
LA Terrorist Sentenced to 12 Years For Planning National Guard & Jewish Center Attacks
The members of the terror group Jamiyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh attended the same Inglewood mosque allegedly conducted surveillance of National Guard facilities, the Israeli Consulate and several synagogues in the Los Angeles area as well as Internet research on Jewish holidays.
The Heroes of Wanat -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany - at Landstuhl]
Im Memoriam:
1LT Jonathan Brostrom
SGT Israel Garcia
SPC Matthew Phillips
SPC Pruitt Rainey
SPC Jonathan Ayers
SPC Jason Bogar
SPC Sergio Abad
SPC Jason Hovater
SPC Gunnar Zwilling
All Sky Soldiers of Chosen Company, 2/503 Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.
I'd like to thank all of you who sent messages of support for these patients during their stay at Landstuhl, as well as all of our regular donors of quilts and many other items. Please know how much your support is appreciated by the guys, and that it does make a difference.
View from the 8th Floor -- [View from the 8th Floor]
Not for Nothing, A Follow-up on the Sky Soldiers in Afghanistan (the details you might otherwise miss...)
Angel Mary Ann has point in providing TLC for our wounded in Landstuhl. She also has kept a close eye on the Sky Soldiers of Chosen Company, 2/503 Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team who have been in Afghanistan for the last year.
It was Sky Soldiers that fought that pitched battle in Afghanistan last week and who lost 9 of their own before they prevailed. Some of their wounded have found their way to Landstuhl and MaryAnn.
Anthony's Birthday -- [Tragically Famous - in Iraq]
It's that day again. I just want to thank everyone for the support you have given my soldiers and I throughout this deployment. It means the world to us.
It's my birthday today - the 4th I will have missed in a row due to military requirements. Oh well! Anyways - if you'd like to do something in honor of my birthday I will ask a favor. If you have some friends, family, and/or coworkers that haven't read the Tragically Famous blog, that you would spread the word to them for me.
One of the greatest things I enjoy is knowing that people have read and enjoy my writing.
Grenade hero awarded George Cross -- [BBC]
A Royal Marine who threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades' lives is to receive the George Cross.
VIDEO: VC marine on Afghan heroics -- [BBC - YouTube]
A Royal Marine speaks about the day he threw himself on a grenade in Afghanistan to protect his colleagues.
It's so, so easy to get one.... -- [THE CI-ROLLER DUDE]
...So, lets say you got back from Iraq and you want to go party. How did you survive Iraq? With a good plan....and a good back up plan. Plan out your drinking. If you are going to drink ---any amount--- you are not going to drive. Have a designated driver. If you think that's a wusss thing to do, then think about the crash you're going to have if someone like me doesn't catch you first. Let's say you crash into another car with a family and you injure or kill some innocent kid or their parent. How are you going to live with that Hero?
Drink smart, or I'm going to come and kick your ass. The person you kill might be you... if that's what you want to do, don't do it in a way that might hurt others.
Remember, you came home a hero....one little slip, and then you're an asshole.
“But… That Never HAPPENED!” -- [Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler]
Remember the libtardian mantra that the spitting on returning heroes after and during the Viet Nam War never happened? We shan’t go into disproving that here, all it takes is a bit of Googling
...So I issue this Imperial Declaration: If I ever, EVER
Santa Barbara Anti-American Protest
The “Compact on Education Transition for Military Children” helps to ease the stress of a PCS for families with children. -- [Army.mil News]
Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Oklahoma have all ratified the compact on education, which will ease the transition between states and school systems for military children and families. Compact commissioners from all 10 states will work to reconcile variations in graduation requirements, course content, student assessment and eligibility for extra-curricular activities. The rules established by the commission will apply to any state which has signed the compact, and will provide continuity and peace of mind for military families on the move.
PETA vs the military -- [Foreign and Domestic]
PETA (people who eat tasty animals) tries to take on Goliath by telling the US Army that killing pigs in a medical exercise is wrong.
While PETA probably thinks that the Iraq war is bad because some camels may have been hurt by IED's, the purpose of this exercise is to save human lives. There is no substitute or simulator to show a medic what a massive hemorrage actually looks, feels, and smells like. If a few pigs have to give their lives to save a US soldier or two, then bring on the bacon. And it's also important to keep in mind that our medics treat everyone that needs it, so this training may just as easily save the life of an Iraqi citizen wounded by a suicide bomber.
Study: Black Officers Remain Rare In Military -- [CBS / AP]
Sixty years after President Truman desegregated the military, senior black officers are still rare, particularly among the highest ranks.
Blacks make up about 17 percent of the total force, yet just 9 percent of all officers. That fraction falls to less than 6 percent for general officers with one to four stars, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.
I'm home -- [Doc in the Box]
and there is no place I'd rather be in the world right now and I think the picture speaks for itself. Thanks for the support.
Dragonslayers head for home -- [Regimental Combat Team 5 - Gunnery Sgt. Jason Bortz]
CAMP RIPPER, Iraq (July 14, 2008) -- After 15 months of service in western Al Anbar province, Iraq, the "Dragonslayers" of the 170th Military Police Company, Regimental Combat Team 5 are heading home to Fort Lewis, Wash.
Don't Call Us - We'll Call You, Al-Rishawi -- [Threats Watch - Steve Shippert]
The leader of the Iraq Awakening is still waiting for that call from an interested US broadcast news organization. Crickets.
Yesterday in That Was Counterterrorism, Senator, I directly challenged Senator Obama’s assertions about ‘The Surge,’ specifically as it related to what is today the Iraq Awakening: Iraqis who took to their own defense against al-Qaeda - and for some time, without our proper support.
As much as a splash as the senator’s words made throughout the media - whether praise, echoes or scorn - it should be striking that no one in the American media circus following him through Iraq and the rest of the Middle East were inclined to perhaps speak to the leader of the Iraq Awakening.
Obama Faking It -- [Town Hall - Maggie Gallagher]
NBC's Andrea Mitchell was the one journalist with the courage to name what she was actually seeing happen: Obama faking even being interviewed by the press.
"Let me say something about the message management. He didn't have reporters with him, he didn't have a press pool, he didn't do a press conference," either in Afghanistan or Iraq, noted Mitchell on the air. Instead Obama manufactured "what some would call 'fake interviews,' because they are not interviews from a journalist," Mitchell went on.
Andrea Blasts Obama 'Fake Interviews'
"He didn't have reporters with him, he didn't have a press pool, he didn't do a press conference while he was on the ground in either Afghanistan or Iraq. What you're seeing is not reporters brought in. You're seeing selected pictures taken by the military, questions by the military, and what some would call fake interviews, because they're not interviews from a journalist. So, there's a real press issue here. Politically it's smart as can be. But we've not seen a presidential candidate do this, in my recollection, ever before."
MEDIA IGNORES Al-Anbar Sheik's Warning to Obama -- [Gateway Pundit]
It's really strange how this warning was missed in most of the media reports today.
Funny how that happens.
Obama sips his tea in al Anbar as the brave sheiks from al-Anbar warn him of his dangerous plans for Iraq.
Bloomberg: Don't Worry America, to Arabs Obama 'Just an American With Muslim Middle Name' -- [NewsBusters]
Bloomberg news is acting as if they know how "many Muslims around the world" feel about Barack Obama. In Bloomberg's considered opinion, Obama is "just an American with a Muslim middle name" and won't "advance" the "interests" of Muslims.
Obama Love
'He's a gift from the world to us.'
Matthews Finally Sees Victory in Iraq but Calls Obama the 'Beneficiary' -- [NewsBusters]
For years Chris Matthews has been proclaiming defeat in Iraq, on an almost nightly basis, on "Hardball" but on Tuesday night he finally admitted the success of the surge that John McCain supported. However, the MSNBC host claimed it would be Barack Obama that would get to enjoy the spoils.
Obama Campaign Prints German-language Flyers for Berlin Rally -- [The Next Tight - Patrick Ruffini]
This is pretty extraordinary. A candidate for the American Presidency is using flyers printed in German to turn people out for his campaign rally in Berlin on Thursday. This flyer can be found on a bilingual page on BarackObama.com advertising the event:
So, this isn't just some sober, high-minded foreign policy speech, part of a foreign trip occurring under the auspices of his official Senate office. It is a campaign rally occuring on foreign soil. They are using the same tactics to turn out Germans to an event as they would to any rally right here in America. This after Obama's campaign said this:
HE'S NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, he's running for President of Earth. " -- [Instapundit]
Obama Campaign Prints German-language Flyers for Berlin Rally."
Obama campaign: McCain flubs on Iraq timeline -- [AP]
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain says Democrat Barack Obama is wrong about the Iraq war.
But Obama's campaign says McCain was wrong about the war's timeline during a nationally televised interview Tuesday.
Same city, different outlook - The Awakening:-- [Lance Cpl. Casey Jones - 1st Battalion, 9th Marines (Fwd)]
This article details the experiences of five Marines that have previously deployed to Ramadi and their first hand accounts of the city prior to the changes and the rebirth the region is now undergoing during their current combat deployment.
...One of the major reasons behind the reduction in violence has been the Sahawa al Anbar, or the Anbar Awakening. The awakening began in 2006 with the murder of a highly revered sheikh. The killers, al Qaeda in Iraq, insulted and disrespected the sheikh’s family by hiding his body for three days so he could not be buried according to Islamic tradition. Their actions proved to be the breaking point for the locals, who were furious over the terrorist organization’s lack of respect for their culture and were exasperated with the endless violence. The local tribal leaders, led by Sheik Sattar abu Risha, declared themselves an enemy of al Qaeda and formed the Awakening Council.
“Before the Awakening, it was very kinetic,” said Maj. Jeff McCormack, the operations officer with 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, who was deployed to the province during the awakening. “We had IED attacks and firefights everyday. Within a week, we went from not being able to stand still for five minutes without being shot at to not having any attacks in the area.”
In addition to the Awakening, the surge of 30,000 U.S. troops to the region also proved to be pivotal in the turnaround.
McCain on the Surge -- [Weekly Standard]
John McCain is drawing criticism for the following exchange with Katie Couric:
I don't know how you respond to something that is such a false depiction of what actually happened. Colonel McFarlane was contacted by one of the major Sunni sheiks. Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening.
...Of course, the official "surge" ordered by President Bush in January 2007 was four months after the Awakening began. Some are pointing to this statement as proof that McCain gets "his facts all wrong", as Matthew Yglesias writes. But...
Obama Admits Surge Worked, and DEMOCRATS Are Responsible -- [Flopping Aces]
What we have to do is to begin a phased redeployment to send a clear signal to the Iraqi government that we are not going to be there in perpetuity. Now, it will — we should be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in. I welcome the genuine reductions of violence that have taken place, although I would point out that much of that violence has been reduced because there was an agreement with tribes in Anbar province — Sunni tribes — who started to see, after the Democrats were elected in 2006, you know what, the Americans may be leaving soon, and we are going to be left very vulnerable to the Shi’as. We should start negotiating now. That’s how you change behavior.
"Antiwar activists split over Obama's troop plans" -- [McClatchy]
Barack Obama's plan to build up U.S. forces in Afghanistan while keeping perhaps 50,000 troops in Iraq has triggered a deep rift among antiwar activists, a reminder of the difficult tasking facing the presumptive Democratic nominee as he tries to broaden his appeal.
Ali G: Iran vs Iraq
Obama Submission Rejected by Reader’s Digest -- [ScrappleFace]
(2008-07-22) — Just days after The New York Times declined to publish an Op-Ed piece by Republican presidential nominee John McCain, Reader’s Digest has rejected a Barack Obama submission to its Humor in Uniform section.
(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)
