Is this report accurate?

Or an attempt to begin a "Bush blames the military" narrative? The NY Times:

Over the past 12 months, as optimism collided with reality, Mr. Bush increasingly found himself uneasy with General Casey’s strategy. And now, as the image of Saddam Hussein at the gallows recedes, Mr. Bush seems all but certain not only to reverse the strategy that General Casey championed, but also to accelerate the general’s departure from Iraq, according to senior military officials.

The shifting of blame has been predicted, and whether or not it occurs it shouldn't surprise anyone if the media declares it has. A new version of the " Shinseki myth" may be in the making, as Iraq tours don't last forever.

For the record, the strategy is a good one:

The original plan, championed by Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top commander in Baghdad, and backed by Donald H. Rumsfeld, then the defense secretary, called for turning over responsibility for security to the Iraqis, shrinking the number of American bases and beginning the gradual withdrawal of American troops.

Will Congress Reconsider?

In an op-ed published in Tuesday's New York Times, John M. Shalikashvili, retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says Congress should give "serious reconsideration" to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the ban on openly lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel. Shalikashvili, who supported the ban on open service in 1993, writes that "I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces," and goes on to say that "Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job."

Full story here.

Colombia Murders at 20-year low

via BBC

Colombian police say the murder rate in the South American nation has fallen to its lowest level in two decades.
Police chief Gen Jorge Daniel Castro said that a total of 17,206 people suffered violent deaths in 2006, 517 fewer than in 2005. (emphasis mine)

via CIA Factbook

The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its municipalities. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders.

I Ran in Iraq, too!

Benjamin Cheever set out to do a story on military running for Runner's World magazine. Included in the package: a trip to Baghdad. But even before he got there he'd learned more than he expected.

Among other reasons I hope to make it to DC for the MilBlogs Conference, I really want to do a few miles in that town.

Update: Warning on page one of the manual for my new watch:

It is your responsibility to us this in a safe manner and to maintain full awareness of all conditions and surroundings at all times. Consulting the watch while moving is unsafe and could result in collision or other accident causing damage and personal injury to yourself or others. Thw watch contains memory functions that should be used to record your speed and distance data for later review.

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO USE THIS PRODUCT PRUDENTLY.

Re: Expansion

The Boston Globe looks at one way to make Big Army bigger:

The armed forces, already struggling to meet recruiting goals, are considering expanding the number of noncitizens in the ranks -- including disputed proposals to open recruiting stations overseas and putting more immigrants on a faster track to US citizenship if they volunteer -- according to Pentagon officials.

The Globe also indicates the most likely opposition/media response, should this plan become reality:

Foreign citizens serving in the US military is a highly charged issue, which could expose the Pentagon to criticism that it is essentially using mercenaries to defend the country.

As tempting as the image of Leftists being sliced open in the mosque square might be for some, most of us won't let it happen. But obviously if too few Americans deem their country worthy of defense, those of us who do will make every possible effort to find others willing to contribute to the cause. (Before conscripting those who aren't willing - but that's another issue altogether.) This step might only delay (not prevent) the fall of Rome, but so be it.

The Strategy page crew addressed the issue here:

The "shortages of volunteers" the media talks about, does not exist. In the last fifteen years, the military kept raising its standards (mostly in terms of education, and scores on military aptitude exams) in order to exclude recruits it believed would be less successful as soldiers. Lower the standards back to 1991 levels, and you have all the troops you need.

But the military, particularly the army, likes the higher standards. This is something that is little discussed, and largely unknown outside the army itself, but those stratospheric recruiting standards has produced the most professional and capable military in American history.
<...>
Many senior officers in the army do pay attention to history, and want to maintain the highest standards. Thus there are now proposals to recruit more foreigners... This brought forth protests from those opposed to, well, whatever. Historically, the American military has usually had more foreigners in the ranks, than it does now. During the American Civil War, about twenty percent of the Union Army was foreign born troops.

Tangential historical discussion here.

All done!

Ethiopia Plans to Pull Troops From Somalia

Maybe not a good idea, but Ethiopia has little ability to sustain a prolonged military action.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Jan. 2 — The prime minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, said today that his country, one of the poorest in the world, could not afford to keep its troops in neighboring Somalia much longer, and that Somalia’s stability depended on the quick injection of foreign peacekeepers.

In a speech to parliament, in which his tone alternated between humble and triumphant, Mr. Meles said that Ethiopia had accomplished its mission to wipe out Somalia’s Islamist forces, which just two weeks ago controlled a large chunk of the country and were regarded as a regional menace.

“We will now leave as soon as possible — it could be weeks, it could be months,” he said. “We don’t have the money to take this burden individually.”
...
Diplomats in the region are now hurrying to cobble together an African peacekeeping force to take the place of the Ethiopian forces. But despite murmurs of commitment from several countries, including Uganda, South Africa and Nigeria, no force has yet materialized.

UPDATE: Same speech--slightly different take: Ethiopian troops to stay in Somalia weeks

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Ethiopian troops will stay in Somalia for another few weeks to help the victorious government pacify the Horn of Africa nation after a two-week war to oust militant Islamists, Addis Ababa said on Tuesday.

Does Almost Count?

Glenn Reynolds quotes Eason Jordan:

If an Iraqi police captain by the name of Jamil Hussein exists, there is no convincing evidence of it - and that means the Associated Press has a journalistic scandal on its hands that will fester until the AP deals with it properly.

Added thought: Has anybody heard anything from Jamil Hussein lately? Seems odd that the AP, who quoted this guy in over 60 stories between April and November last year would suddenly stop doing so after stating emphatically that

Hussein is well known to AP. We first met him, in uniform, in a police station, some two years ago. We have talked with him a number of times since then and he has been a reliable source of accurate information on a variety of events in Baghdad.

Funny, that.

UPDATE: Holy Cow - the AP responds to Jordan:

Kathleen Carroll, AP executive editor, told E&P today that she had not read Jordan's latest item, posted Monday, and likely would not. But she stood by the news organization's previous statements backing the existence of an Iraqi police captain, Jamail Hussein.

Grim Milestone Watch

The latest mark in the US death toll from Iraq drew a bit of media attention:

His father, David, learnt that his son’s death was the 3,000th by logging on to the internet after reporters began calling at his home.

“We had no idea why we were getting, within an hour, almost eight or nine people at the door,” he said. “That was a surprise to us because none of them mentioned why they were there. Perhaps they were embarrassed. One guy was standing there shaking like a leaf.”

But a much more significant "milestone" was reached last month - and virtually ignored.

The number of military service women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan has reached 70, more than the total from the Korean, Vietnam and Desert Storm wars.

Re: 2%

We should note a second pay raise scheduled for April this year, though only mid-grade enlisted and warrants will see a boost in that one.

With all due respect to the memory of Gerry Ford...

If your experiences have been anything like mine during this Bowl season, you've repeatedly discovered Michigan fans crumpled to the ground in a puddle of their own tears whimpering softly and incoherently over the fairness of life and a system that denied them an opportunity to play Ohio State just one more time to prove that they are actually the bestest team in the whole wide world. Being a sensitive, caring type, I've (until now) studiously not kicked or even stepped on them while passing by in their moment of endless bitter anguish.

But now, courtesy of USC and Bugs Bunny, I'll have something different to say tomorrow.

Surge vs Expansion

Expanding the Army is a bad idea. That's the central premise of this WaPo opinion piece by Gordon Adams and John Diamond. The authors give three reasons:

(1) It won't make a difference in Iraq. (right)
(2) It'll cost too much. (wrong, or rather, tangential)
(3) Voters in November rejected an expanded mission for the Army. (way too big a leap to make)

The budgetary concerns are misplaced insofar as they are dependent on how important you think the mission (however defined) is. If you think the mission is important, you're willing to shoulder the increased costs. Adams and Price argue that an increased Army will costs too much largely on the basis of increased retirement and health care costs. But that's hardly a justification for foregoing a mission central to national security--if you think the mission is central to national security. If you don't, well, then it's an easy choice to make. Additionally, arguments about increased retirment costs and healthcare fail for the simple fact those costs don't kick in until much later in time (i.e. when the new bigger Army is "older" and hence, closer to retirement and in greater need of medical care).