"This is a War for All the Marbles"

A good read.

Korean Government Warns USFK Commander Over "Undiplomatic" Remarks

Here is another sign that USFK Commander General Bell has been doing his job exceedingly well, he has officially pissed off the Korean Foreign Ministry:

South Korea expressed concern over "undiplomatic" remarks made by the top U.S. military officer here regarding possible delays in the relocation of U.S. military bases, a Foreign Ministry official said yesterday. Earlier this month, Gen. Burwell Bell, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said he would "fight" any further delay of the planned base movement. "The comment (made by Gen. Bell) could produce unnecessary misunderstandings, so we delivered an indirect message asking him to be cautious about making comments," the ministry official said on condition of anonymity. The ministry expressed its concern regarding the matter to U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Stephens while she was visiting Seoul last weekend, the official said. But it was not an official warning per se, he added.

You can read General Bell's prior comments here.

Why do I say General Bell is doing his job well you may ask?

Fresh Argument Needed...

...submit your best ideas to the DNC:

WASHINGTON — James Baker, the co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, on Tuesday endorsed President Bush's troop surge in Iraq, urging the Senate to "give it a chance."

"The president's plan ought to be given a chance," Baker told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Just give it a chance."

Baker, a former secretary of state under President George H.W. Bush, said it was wrong for the Senate to confirm Army Gen. David Petreaus to lead the new Iraq mission at the same time it was moving to pass non-binding resolutions opposing the deployment of at least 21,500 U.S. forces to improve security in Baghdad and Al Anbar Province. Some of those forces have already been deployed.
<...>
Baker's endorsement could well alter the political dynamic dealing with Senate debate on the president's new Iraq plan. Many critics have cited the ISG, which in November published 79 recommendations for getting the United States of Iraq successfully, as the basis for opposing the troop surge. References to the ISG's military and diplomatic recommendations are cited in both leading resolutions opposing the new Iraq plan.

Who knew she was such a strong supporter of the surge?

Treason

In response to outraged New York Times readers, Philip Taubman, the paper's Washington bureau chief, has admonished a correspondent for "stepping over a line" and uttering comments that Taubman declared "were an aberration" - "poorly worded", "his comments on the show went too far.”

T'was the paper’s chief military correspondent, Michael Gordon, who drew his editor's fire. His crime?

The Shining Path

Some scattered links from Instapundit that really deserve a compilation, and a closer look. (By the way, this in no way implies Glenn Reynolds shares these opinions/observations - the trendspotting here is all mine.)

One - the NBC video:

Good stuff - you should hear guys like these off-camera.

But here's a gem from the comments section on the youtube page for the video:

You're forgetting that the military has lowered its standards to keep recruitment up. The Army now accepts Neo-nazis and psychiatric patients fresh out of the ward as recruits. This is the result of "people who don't trust their leaders anymore" deciding the military is a bad choice.

Back to that in a moment. First, link two - from the NY Times:

There were a few tense moments, however, including an encounter involving Joshua Sparling, 25, who was on crutches and who said he was a corporal with the 82nd Airborne Division and lost his right leg below the knee in Ramadi, Iraq. Mr. Sparling spoke at a smaller rally held earlier in the day at the United States Navy Memorial, and voiced his support for the administration’s policies in Iraq.

Later, as antiwar protesters passed where he and his group were standing, words were exchanged and one of the antiwar protestors spit at the ground near Mr. Sparling; he spit back.

Capitol police made the antiwar protestors walk farther away from the counterprotesters.

“These are not Americans as far as I’m concerned,” Mr. Sparling said.

Sad that the Times reporter didn't have time to confirm that Sparling was indeed an Iraq vet, not just a guy who "said he was". And he is recovering from wounds he recieved "over there". Here are two pictures (linked to sources) from the day of the protests.

In the counter-protest:

...and signing an autograph:

Link three includes an email from an Instapundit reader who had wandered through the protest crowds - the whole thing is well worth a read (and appeared in an update that you too may have missed) but here's a quick clip:

I saw three groups of counter protesters. One in front of the National Art Gallery, one just north of the Capitol, and a small group of young Marines standing with a life-size cutout of President Bush. The Marines were taking quite a beating from the crowd, and were definitely keeping their cool quite well.

The conclusion is one I draw from more than just these three isolated incidents. I hate to see this, but we're witnessing the ongoing evolution of a trend I spotted almost a year go

...most low ranking military members currently serving joined after the invasion of Iraq, virtually all people serving at this time have either enlisted or re-enlisted in a military at war. One obvious conclusion from this that I didn't put in writing is that this eliminates the "anti-war" crowd's treasured canard that the troops are victims who thought they were signing up for a college financial aid program and were shocked to be handed a weapon and taught how to shoot.

The death of this claim necessitates a new attack - a predictable evolution of the old. To put it in simplest and honest terms it goes like this: the folks that are joining now are lowlifes...

Believing that makes it much easier to spit at wounded GIs. The "support the troops - not the war" line can only work for so long. Yes, organized attempts to perpetuate the GI as victim myth (and thus "supportable" for some) are ongoing - but their "success" is nowhere near what was hoped. And yes, deceptive attempts to portray the GIs themselves as admitting they've been handed their asses in Iraq are also ongoing. But eventualy people will notice that when you've got to "fly Iraq veterans to the home states of Republican senators" in order to lend credibility to your protest it might indicate a shortage thereof.

But there must be a reason for that, and it must be that these are lowlifes and Nazis! And the spitting begins.

Is this behavior pervasive in America? Of course not. It is becomming more common - for reasons I state above, and will become more so with time. And there are well meaning people out there who have convinced themselves the troops in Iraq simply lack the benefit of deep knowledge the average American has gained of the situation from headlines and soundbites, and that these poor troops need to be brought out of there for their own good. But eventually these folks (perhaps aided by accurate reports like NBC's above) might realize the absurdity of that position. And while those who really do give a damn about the troops might actually come to support us (beyond the bumper-sticker level) as a result of that epiphany, those whose motives are purely political will find themselves forced to follow the path to the dark side illustrated above.

A path that seems increasingly well travelled.

Update: A travel agent speaks.

All done!

Marines Order Probe into Haditha Leak

Investigating and hopefully punishing leaks of sensitive materials is the intelligence and security version of the "broken windows" theory of crime reduction. If you don't sweat the small things, neither will those inclined to leak.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The Marine Corps said Monday that it has ordered a probe into how a government report on the killings of Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha was leaked to the news media.

Leaks are kind of like Illinois Nazis, I hate em both.

Nothing is quick about Counter Insurgency

Lt Col P interviews fellow milblogger Kurt Wheeler on Al-Anbar:

...you can't measure our success by the number of attacks received because our increased activity, "taking the fight to the enemy," has as much to do with the level of violence as does enemy will/actions. We could reduce attacks on our forces by staying on the FOBs, but that's not how you win a COIN fight. Many commanders are describing the insurgents as fighting desperately to hold onto areas and neighborhoods that they once controlled without question.

A Marine who went to Harvard? I think my head might explode.

Max Boot "versus" Victor Davis Hanson

Contentions, the blog for Commentary Magazine, is having a "week-long discussion of the state of the Iraq war and its regional and global implications." Boot is a bit more pessimistic than Hanson, but here are some excerpts from the opening exchange.

From Hanson's first post:

So where does that leave us? In a race of sorts. On the one side, the Democrats realize that anger over the perceived stasis in Iraq has brought them the Congress and possibly the White House in 2008. On the other side, the administration’s personnel changes, the surge, and a belated public-relations counteroffensive have bought six months to a year (at most) to secure and quiet Baghdad. Democratic critics claimed that they wanted more troops, Rumsfeld’s resignation, and mavericks like General Petraeus in charge—thinking, probably, that President Bush would probably never accede. Now that he has, it will take a few weeks for the Democrats to re-triangulate and refashion credible new opposition to their own earlier demands. (And they must tread carefully while doing it: if the surge works as planned, the Democrats will end up looking foolish on the eve of the 2008 election.)

From Boot's first post:

There hasn’t been a whole lot to cheer since the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon and the elections in Iraq in 2005. In fact both achievements have been undermined in the past year by relentless violence on the part of anti-democratic militias—Hizballah in Lebanon and various Sunni and Shiite factions in Iraq. Lebanon is on the verge of a civil war (as is the Palestinian Authority) and Iraq is already in the early stages of its own civil war.

I am especially crestfallen to see how the situation in Iraq has deteriorated over the past few years. According to the UN, over 34,000 Iraqi civilians died violently last year, more than 36,000 were injured, and more than 470,000 were displaced from their homes. It is scant comfort to say that the violence is confined to four or five provinces out of eighteen. Even if that were true (and recent fighting in Karbala and Najaf undermines the claim), it would be like saying of 9/11, “What’s the big deal? Only two American cities were struck. Hundreds of others remained safe.”

Worth checking out.

And Yet More RE: Major Combat

The anxiously hyperventilating title of 'Battle suggests new sectarian divides in Iraq' (CS Monitor) is mildly amusing. For the ink spent trying to justify the headline, there are some good bits of information in there. I'm not a dedicated 'Iraq Hand' and there are many far more knowledgable on the various groups, sects and clans than I, but I know enough to do some legwork and listen. So, then, the skinny:

It's not sectarian violence, much to the dismay of every reporter who has written of the Najaf...thing. Murphy calls it "cultish" in the article. Quite generous of him, I guess. Look, it's a cult. Think of Abu Qamar al-Yamani and Jund al-Sama (Army of Heaven) as Jim Jones, David Koresh and Hal Lindsay in a mosque and you'll get the picture. As wrong as he is on so many things, Juan Cole actually makes an important point that Murphy failed to drive home enough to paint an appropriate picture.

"In Shiite Islam there is this very strong millenarian trend, similar to Christian movements that think Christ is about to return,'' says Juan Cole, a professor of Middle East history at the University of Michigan. "So just like some millenarian evangelicals think that the pope is the antichrist, they would see the ayatollahs as ... usurpers of his rightful role."

And that is central to what this whole....thing...was about. But then the wheels come off Cole's wagon.

Update your style books...

Mr President,

By the way, in the speech, you spoke about the Democrats. You said, you congratulated the Democrat majority. And I notice your prepared text said Democratic majority. I surely think that you know that for the Democrats, they think when you say Democrat, it's like fingernails on the blackboard. They don't like it. They like you to say Democratic.

Re: Comic Relief

Man, do I need a training program to get you guys up to speed on this whole innernets movie phenomenon?

If you want folks to follow your links, you gotta give a sample of what awaits (especially during the MilBlogs Movie Festival...)

More Re: Major Combat

No official word from US sources yet:

MR. WILLIAMS: All right, Mr. President, the reports that 300 militants were killed, an American helicopter shot down yesterday in Najaf – that's one of the deadliest battles of the war, what can you tell us?

PRESIDENT BUSH: You know, Juan, I haven't been briefed by the Pentagon yet. One of the things I've learned is not to react to first reports off the battlefield.

You'd think it might be hard to turn victory into defeat, but where there's a will there's a way:

The incident is a reminder of the swirling agendas now at play in Iraq and the turbulent political waters US troops are wading into as more soldiers arrive and President Bush has vowed to stand by Shiite Islamist Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Center for the Intrepid Opens! Hooray!!

I have a soft part in my heart for Fisher House.. having been a guest at the Landstuhl Fisher House for a few days. However, the Fisher Family began and supports a number of Foundations that support our military and our veterans and their families... And not just in name, but in intent and their ability to get things done. There, of course, is the Fisher House Foundation. And then there is the Intrepid Foundation which supports a number of noteworthy causes: the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides financial support for the families of United States military personnel who have been lost in the line of duty, and Fleet Week, a celebration honoring the men and women of our nation's military.

Recognizing the need for a state-of-the-art facility for the rehabilitation of disabled veterans -- not just resulting from the Iraq and Afganistan campaigns but for all veterans with a need -- the Intrepid Foundation set out to get that facility designed, funded and built. THEY DID IT!!!

The best part?? This facility was built with money donated by the American people. 600,000 people built this facility for American Heroes.

Read more at Some Soldier's Mom

and HERE and HERE

Don't forget to DONATE... there is still lots to be done!

Comic relief....

After watching Sen. Clinton and the Speaker of the House: I think we could all use some comic relief.

I got this idea from Bubblehead. Miss having Midwatch? Want to remember what it was like at sea? Never been to sea? About halfway through Episode 4 of "Hey Shipwreck" - you have the Sailor to English translator that will make this Monday go a lot easier.

RE: Re: Oh Boy...

Nancy is sad.

Three days in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan have made House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even more certain of her view that moving troops out of Iraq is the best way to bring stability to the region, she told The Chronicle on Sunday.

Speaking from Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, Pelosi said the nation owes its troops a better policy than the one now being pursued by President Bush, and emphasized the importance of reconstructing the war-torn region.

****

"Sadly, there was nothing that we saw there that would say that the plan we have been proposing should be changed,'' Pelosi said of her visit.

But Nancy supports our troops. She traveled all the way to Iraq to make that known.

Pelosi said the prime mission of the trip was to offer support for the troops, whom she said were quite interested in meeting with the delegation.

"Our purpose was to salute our troops and commend them for their patriotism, their sacrifice, and the sacrifice of their families.''

Yeah, yeah, yeah....

On Things Non Binding (A Hypothetical)

There is a fundamental contradiction in all this non-binding resolution talk. It kind of looks like this:

First, the "this is a vitally important vote!" position:

"This is a tough business. But is it any tougher, us having to take a tough vote, express ourselves and have the courage to step up on what we're asking our young men and women to do?" (link)

Versus the "Hey, we're just talkin'" position:

"It is not the American people or the U.S. Congress that is emboldening the enemy. It is the failed policy of this president" (source)

And now, a hypothetical:

Suppose the Senate passed a resolution, non-binding of course, stating that it was the collective opinion of the Senate that the War was fought under false pretenses, that our military is there illegally, and incidents like Hamdania , Abu Ghraib, and Haditha were not isolated crimes but rather indicative of the military operation in Iraq writ large as a whole (naturally the fault of Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney). As a result, all members of the military currently in Iraq are probably guilty of some type of war crime (reminiscent of "Jenjis Khan").

Now, this resolution wouldn't have any binding effect. There'd be no change in current policy; no decrease in funding; and no promise or threat of pending legal action against these "war criminals." But might such a resolution (remember, non-binding, gotta keep throwing that in there), have SOME effect on (1) how those deployed perceive the level support they receive at home; and (2) how those opposing us might feel about their prospects?

Just maybe?

MilBlog Conference

The blog site is up and running.

Hope to see you in May.

Re: Major Combat?

The number is now 300.

Something has happened, a battle did take place. But my first take on this is that the numbers are as believable as Jamil Hussein (6 Iraqis burned to death in the street) or the Association of Muslim Scholars (184 mosques destroyed.) But I admit I could be wrong. Unnamed ministry spokesman have been proven wrong before, but thus far the media is covering this without question.

CENTCOM or MNF-I should be able to make a statement today. It will be interesting to see what follows. If it plays out like the Hussein/Association stories did, "roaring silence" is the answer. Somehow I don't expect that.

Sadrists, Islamic Party ink deal to maintain security

Story here.

A photo essay...

...on the protests and counter-protests in D.C. this past weekend.

Among the counter-protesters, Pfc Joshua Sparling.

Since We've Seem To Have Caught the Hollywood Bug...

This flick has promise.

Of course I'll admit I'm biased. I'm a sucker for Vietnam films that manage to avoid the "military ruined my life" narrative.

Setting up listening posts

This submarine helped revived a type of ship that U.S. Navy really hadn't used in 100 years. And lead to "grams" and bases in places like Adak, Newfoundland, Bermuda, Guam and more. And boring, but very important duty.

And a spy helped devalue it for military purposes.

Details here.

With Eyes So Blind

I'd shout this from the rooftops but where are them what have ears to hear?

I Can't hear you...

Just posted a new version of that vacation video - didn't realize how low the volume was the first time as I used headphones when setting it up.

Live and learn. (At least, some of us do.)

Major Combat?

Is this accurate?

U.S.-backed Iraqi troops on Sunday attacked insurgents allegedly plotting to kill pilgrims at a major Shiite Muslim religious festival, and Iraqi officials estimated some 250 militants died in the daylong battle near Najaf.

(For the record, in case I'm not clear here, this isn't very likely.)

Update: Hmmmm...

A plot to kill Grand Ayatollah Sistani triggered the intense fighting when Iraqi security forces intervened to stop the plot. Iraqi officials estimated that 600 gunmen were involved in the battle that it now says is 90 percent complete.

Coming Soon to a theater near you

Well, probably not a theater.

Representative John Conyers attended yesterday's [fill-in-the-blank] rally. To continue Greyhawk's weekend at the movies theme, looks like a new film is in the works.

Jane Fonda returned to the peace movement, calling upon Americans not to forget the lessons of Vietnam. I had a chance to speak to Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, who have also used their celebrity as movie stars to bring the media focus to the growing anti-war movement.

PDA, Code Pink and the Institute of Policy Studies all made significant contributions to the events today.

But perhaps the most powerful voices heard today were those from military families, grieving for lost loved ones. Their personal stories cut at your heart like nothing else.

I spoke with some filmmakers doing a piece for the Huffington Post today so I am hoping that you may get to hear directly from some of these military families on the pages here later.

Popcorn, anyone?

Melvin Laird on Iraq

via Appleton Pot

The brewing fight in Congress over continued funding of the war in Iraq will not be the country's first. It's an ominous reminder of 1975, when Congress cut off funding for the Vietnam War three years after our combat troops had left.

With the assistance we promised South Vietnam in the 1972 Paris Accords — U.S. equipment, replacement parts and ammunition — it had won every major battle since we left. But Congress lost the will to keep our promise and killed the appropriation. The result was a bloodbath.

Re: Oh Boy....

(Updated: Now with EXTRA VOLUME!!!)

MilBlogs weekend at the movies continues with a vacation video from Nancy P & Co.

Update: At about the :55 second point in the video, a quick clip shows Ms Pelosi addressing the troops in Iraq: "...let's talk about the intelligence that got us into war... that'll be interesting to start with..." Whatever she said before or after that line is not on the video.

It's a very tricky situation for a GI in combat to engage a politician on this topic, but given that the Speaker began the discussion I believe this might be an appropriate and safe response:

"I'm not concerned about that. Whether they were there or not, I salute the president for the goal of removing weapons of mass destruction."

You can even credit the original source. It's Nancy Pelosi.

News of Afghanistan

"The infidel Major John is tired, and he is a day late - but he still has the News, curse him!"

Gates on Iran in Iraq

Battle for Haifa Street

More from the Pentagon Channel - a look at this week's action in Baghdad:

Organizing

“The face of antiwar is not what it was in the ’70s,”
- antiwar activist quoted in the following story.

Contrast

If you want an excellent example of how a newspaper can shape the news, read Mohammed's account of the televised parliamentary debate in Iraq, then try the New York Times report of the same.

The difference? One is straightforward news, a presentation of facts, and the other is an opinion piece masked as news. In defense of the Times effort, it does relieve the reader of the burden of thinking for themselves.

Gates

Via the Pentagon Channel, Secretary of Defense Gates on the potential impact of congressional resolutions opposing military operations in Iraq.

The reason for the setting? Secretary Gates wants a less formal environment than the briefing room to address the media.

Something to remember when you hear someone say Bush "ignored the Iraq Study Group": Gates was a member.

The Military Channel is seeking your videos.

We're happy to help publicize.

One word, though, boys and girls.

OPSEC. Don't give away buy the farm just to be on TV.

The Military Channel is seeking personal videos from members of the U.S. Military to let soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines tell their story directly to viewers. Real-life moments captured on film by service members will be broadcast on the Military Channel as part of a new on-air programming initiative. Servicemen and women anywhere in the world who brought a camcorder with them on a recent deployment, or those who currently have a camera with them on the frontlines, can submit their videos directly to the Military Channel.

Additional information is available from a recent DOD release:
http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2762

As well as a recent piece that aired on the Pentagon Channel:
http://www.media-file.net/discovery/militarychannel/

Personal videos can be submitted online at www.mywardiary.com, or mailed to the address below. Or email mywardiary@discovery.com for more information.

Mailing Address

MILITARY VIDEOS
Discovery Productions
8045 Kennett Street
Silver Spring , MD 20910

The Military Channel is owned and operated by Discovery Communications, Inc. More information about Discovery and its businesses can be found at www.discovery.com.

Yank the Funding

Sorry to hog all the space here today, but what a busy news day this is turning out to be.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has scheduled a hearing next Tuesday in his Judiciary Committee subcommittee to explore whether Congress has the authority to cut off funding for the U.S. military campaign in Iraq. The move comes as Congress prepares to vote on a congressional resolution opposing President Bush's escalation of the war.

Feingold, a fierce war critic, will force Democrats to consider an option many consider politically suicidal: denying funds to the military and U.S. soldiers to force a quicker end to the war. Democratic leaders have privately called on members to restrain from cutting off funding and focus on congressional resolutions condemning the Bush policy. The resolutions are nonbinding and therefore symbolic.

Yep. Very easy to hold symbolic votes then run to the cameras and proclaim your support of the troops. But...putting ones true beliefs to the test, in public and on the record, without nuance.... Well, a much harder thing for most politicians to do.

"Congress holds the power of the purse and if the president continues to advance his failed Iraq policy, we have the responsibility to use that power to safely redeploy our troops from Iraq," Feingold said in a statement released by his office on Thursday. "I will soon be introducing legislation to use the power of the purse to end what is clearly one of the greatest mistakes in the history of the nation's foreign policy."

Let's have this debate. I'm all for it.

Oh, Boy....

I feel for the troops who will be spending some time with their latest guest.

Grotesque.

Update: Lookie, lookie. Now I feel even sorrier for the troops.

A U.S. embassy official said Pelosi, the first woman speaker of the House, had arrived in Iraq at the head of a six-member congressional delegation for meetings with Iraqi and U.S. officials but did not plan any public appearances.

The delegation includes John Murtha, a Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania, who has also been vocal in his criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the war.

I hope he stays away from the Marines....

Let's Suppose He's Right

But for all the wrong reasons.

Sen. Charles Schumer, architect of the new Democratic Senate majority, argues that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the 2008 elections will not center on Iraq.

"I think Iraq will not be as strong an issue in the 2008 elections," said the senior senator from New York, as he enters his second straight cycle as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "I think the surge will fail and the president will have no choice but to begin removing troops."

What happens if the so-called "surge" works and undeniable progress is documented and all the political naysayers are left with egg on their faces. In that case, of course the elections will not center on Iraq, now will they?

Some Important Links

Since its creation, Military.com has proven itself as an excellent clearinghouse for soldier support and related resources. That they’re also a good friend to MILBLOGS and MILBLOGGERS and military families, earns them special praise.

They tipped me off to two services that I wanted to highlight for MILBLOGGERS and their readership, if they haven’t already seen them.

From a Military.com mailing:

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Website Launched
Barbara Romberg, a psychologist with a private practice in Washington, D.C., has created a single website to link licensed counselors with U.S. troops affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from serving Afghanistan and Iraq. More

Program Serves Wounded Warriors
The Army's Wounded Warrior Program, dubbed AW2, is designed for soldiers severely wounded in the war on terror. AW2 provides information and assistance to aid soldiers and their families through the recovery process and beyond. More

Not that the military or VA sometimes doesn’t contribute to soldier reluctance; many of the guys in treatment talk about the difficulties they encounter, such as when they get classified as 100% disabled. For soldiers still seeking a meaningful return to civilian life – or even to remain in service for that matter – such classifications and the limitations they impose can be frustrating. In any case, having a clearinghouse of resources that soldiers can access on their own has got to be a helpful addition to the panoply of services available.

The AW2 Program sounds like another excellent program. Many of us are familiar with Project Valour-IT and scores of other Soldiers Angels networked services, many of which specifically support wounded veterans and their families. AW2 provides another level of support for these who have sacrificed much in service to their nation.

And again, thanks to military.com for bringing these fine services to wider attention.

(Cross-posted at Dadmanly)

Where I Worry

In thinking about the Long War I know that all the different kinds of Islamists work together: Thai, Indonesian, American, Chechnyan, et cetera. The Shiite fighters also work with the Al-Qaeda types when they see it fit to not kill each other instead. Hezballah's information ops success in Lebanon is teaching lessons to both sides.

Subsunk at Blackfive, and Mohammed Fadhil at Iraq The Model, think things are quiet. This could be a good thing. I worry about information operations in progress...or Grozny.

A couple quick Ones

The Washington Post

Troops Battle Insurgents In Central Baghdad

With attack helicopters circling overhead, U.S. and Iraqi forces waged an intense battle Wednesday to clear armed men from high-rise buildings in a strategic Baghdad neighborhood that had been the scene of a similar day of combat two weeks ago.

The fighting along Haifa Street, a Sunni-dominated area on the west bank of the Tigris River, began before dawn and lasted well into the day, with insurgents firing down from tall buildings, U.S. military officials said.

"We have intelligence information that the terrorist group is back and trying to take some other places," said Ali Dabbagh, a spokesman for the prime minister. "It's a very strategic and important location. It's in the middle of Baghdad; it has a view of all of Baghdad."
<...>
Explosions could be heard coming from the area and thick black smoke rose above the high-rises that line the street. The military said it seized a cache of weapons, including numerous rocket-propelled grenades and antitank rounds, during the raid.

More than 30 "terrorists" were arrested during the operation and roughly 25 were killed, Dabbagh said Wednesday night. A U.S. military spokesman, Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, said he was aware of seven arrests and did not know whether anyone had died.

The New York Times:

Iraqi Official Offers Terms From Militia To Avoid Fight

An Iraqi official authorized to speak on behalf of field commanders for the country’s most powerful militia has approached Western military officials and laid out a plan to avoid armed confrontation, senior Iraqi and American officials said this week.

The official is Rahim al-Daraji, the elected mayor of the Sadr City district, the vast grid in the northeast corner of the capital that is the stronghold of the militia, the Mahdi Army. Mr. Daraji has met twice in the past two weeks with Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb, a British officer who is the deputy commanding general in Iraq, said a senior Iraqi official in the office of the prime minister.

During the meetings, which took place on Jan. 17 and, most recently, on Monday, Mr. Daraji laid out a proposal from what he said were all the major political and militia groups in Sadr City, the senior Iraqi official said. The groups were eager to head off a major American military offensive in the district, home to two million Shiites, as the Americans begin a sweeping new effort to retake the streets of Baghdad.

Sen. Webb: my Eisenhower trumps your Eisenhower

Did ya'll catch Sen. Webb's Eisenhower quote during his response to the SOTU?

As I look at Iraq, I recall the words of former general and soon-to-be President Dwight Eisenhower during the dark days of the Korean War, which had fallen into a bloody stalemate. "When comes the end?" asked the General who had commanded our forces in Europe during World War Two. And as soon as he became President, he brought the Korean War to an end.

We have yet to complete the job, he so well advanced at such great cost; for victory in war is barren until a secure peace has been established. Young men who have not yet done their share must now come forward to help bear the burden. May the memory of what the fighting man accomplished inspire in us a high resolve to see the job through.

Franco Harris... a Great Football Player...

...and a gracious human being. Franco Harris - yer a good man.

Lots to Discuss...

...at the 2007 MilBlog Conference.

We're getting close to making some announcements, see here for the latest.

Re: Hitchens, Steyn

TruePunk over at InstaPunk takes off on themes set out in the Hitchens piece plus a Benny Morris look at the next holocaust and looks for accomplices here.

It should be read in its entirety, but a small sample:

These are the "liberal" candidates for everlasting guilt when the next holocaust occurs:

-- All you "supporters of our troops" who root for the insurgents because American deaths will embarrass Bush and all you "supporters of Israel's right to exist" who root for Hizbollah because Israeli deaths will embarrass Bush; you are both treasonous to your home and treacherous to your friends. There is no lower place in the human condition, whatever your religion, faith, or philosophy. The suffering you deserve will come.

Congressional military families

An article (very incomplete) in McPaper yesterday had me doing a little digging about who in Congress actually has a family member serving in the military. You wouldn't know it by the WaPo and NYT, but Senator Web isn't the only one. I think I figured out why the Marines do so well when it comes to Congressional issues. Look at the breakout: Total count 10 USMC, 7 Army, 3 Navy (+ 2 at Annapolis). 0 Air Force. 0 Coast Guard.

More details below the fold.

Poll Me

A look at results from that Military Times poll.

Some results from other topics below the fold. Lesbians and feminists will be particularly disappointed.

Iran and North Korea Collaborate on Nuclear Weapons

The last two members of the Axis of Evil are at it again:

North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year. Under the terms of a new understanding between the two countries, the North Koreans have agreed to share all the data and information they received from their successful test last October with Teheran's nuclear scientists. North Korea provoked an international outcry when it successfully fired a bomb at a secret underground location and Western intelligence officials are convinced that Iran is working on its own weapons programme.

A senior European defence official told The Daily Telegraph that North Korea had invited a team of Iranian nuclear scientists to study the results of last October's underground test to assist Teheran's preparations to conduct its own — possibly by the end of this year. There were unconfirmed reports at the time of the Korean firing that an Iranian team was present. Iranian military advisers regularly visit North Korea to participate in missile tests.

Now the long-standing military co-operation between the countries has been extended to nuclear issues.

Some how I don't see the UN, Europeans, or the Democrats doing anything to stop the obvious violations by Iran of the UN sanctions placed on North Korea last year because of their ballistic missile and nuclear weapon tests. Could it be that the Iranians are trying to speed up their nuclear weapons program because they feel a US or Israeli attack is imminent?

You don't deploy an extra carrier group and PATRIOT missiles to the Middle East to fight an insurgency.

Hitchens on Steyn

The Corner tipped us off to a most valuable confluence of thoughtful analysis and serious attention to the threat of Islamist terrorism, over at City Journal. For there, Christopher Hitchens reviews what he (or the editors at City Journal) characterizes as a welcome wake-up call, in Mark Steyn’s America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It.

I’ve just finished Steyn’s scrappy call to arms. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone