Book Review: Moment of Truth in Iraq – Michael Yon

“An enemy forced to choose between dying or hiding inevitably loses legitimacy. Legitimacy is essential. Men who must always either run or die are no longer an army and are not going to found a caliphate. They are just a gang, no matter how brave, and though a gang may frighten and coerce the people, it can not win the people.” Michael Yon, A Moment of Truth in Iraq

With an insight like that it’s hard to argue with Yon’s assessment of Iraq and the possible outcome. You’ll notice that I didn’t say inevitable outcome because as Michael so clearly notes, while the soldiers on the ground win the engagements and have claimed the high moral ground among the Iraqis, it is the feckless politician that can still throw it all away for a vote.

Yon takes no prisoners in his accounting of Iraq and Afghanistan. He tells you who exactly is at fault for every setback and heaps praise upon those that wield great success, but also Yon takes you right along on every patrol and operation. You’ll be there as he sits with Sheiks and Generals and you’ll be there when LTC Crissman arrests General Hamid in order to prevent a bloodbath that would have set back many months of progress. As Yon states, “Lack of restraint nearly cost us the war during the first couple of years. Leadership, character and restraint are why we are winning the war in Iraq – now.”

Yon definitely provides his readers a moment of truth in Iraq that you will not get on the evening news or even in the newspapers. You will be introduced to true heroes who give entirely of themselves so that Iraq will succeed and it is our duty to support these men and women when the politicians won’t.

In the end Yon provides the clearest insight into Iraq and the feelings of the American Soldier that very few Americans can see when he writes:

“We can win. But we can still lose. […] There are those who fought and those who didn’t. Our soldier’s often said, ‘The military is at war. America is at the mall.’ […] American combat troops don’t want pity. They’re ready to fight to the end; they just don’t want it to be for naught. They have been fighting for two nations, one of which didn’t seem to notice. The Iraqis noticed.”

When will we?

I want to also take this time to once again personally thank Michael for all his support. Many months ago when he was in Baqoubah with the 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, I read a story about Baqoubah in the news. Wanting to verify its truth I emailed Michael and was surprised to find a return email from him. Even more surprising was his offer to help another independent get an interview with LTC Fred Johnson. That offer led to The Thunder Run’s first Boots on the Ground interview.

Thank you Michael.

Web Reconnaissance for 05/17/2008

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention updated throughout the day…so check back often. This is a weekend edition so updates are as time and family permits.


In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Paulson Upbeat on Economy and Markets, but Not Housing - Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. said yesterday that financial markets have stabilized since March, when the collapse of investment house Bear Stearns roiled Wall Street, and said he expects economic growth to rebound by the end of the year. (READ MORE)

Obama Strikes Back at Bush On Diplomacy - WATERTOWN, S.D., May 16 -- Sen. Barack Obama pushed back Friday against President Bush's implicit criticism of his approach to foreign policy, condemning his administration for not capturing Osama bin Laden and blaming its Iraq war policy for strengthening and emboldening Iran. (READ MORE)

End FBI-ATF Rift, Senators Urge - Battles between the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives threaten national security and are reminiscent of the poor information-sharing that failed to detect the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, two U.S. senators said in a letter... (READ MORE)

Bounties a Bust in Hunt for Al-Qaeda - SANAA, Yemen -- Jaber Elbaneh is one of the world's most-wanted terrorism suspects. In 2003, the U.S. government indicted him, posted a $5 million reward for his capture and distributed posters bearing photos of him around the globe. (READ MORE)

How to Enrage a Democrat - If nothing else, we now know what it takes to make a Democrat go nuts. One word: "appeasement." Notwithstanding that President Bush named no names in his speech to Israel's Knesset on Thursday, Barack Obama instantly called it a "false political attack." On him, of course. To House Speaker Nancy Pelosi it was "beneath the dignity of the office of the President." (READ MORE)

Beseeching the Saudis - We don't know who advised President Bush to go on bended knee to Saudi Arabia yesterday, to plead with King Abdullah to ramp up oil supply and ease prices at the American gas pump. But about that adviser, our suggestion to the President is: Fire him – or her. A cardinal rule of presidential diplomacy is never to ask publicly for favors unless you know in advance they will be granted. (READ MORE)

An Unhealthy Merger - Hospitals are big business, even when the companies that run them are "not for profit." So it's not surprising that some of them would seek to restrict competition, assuming they can get away with it. That seems to be the case with Inova Health Systems of Northern Virginia, which was sued this week by the Federal Trade Commission. (READ MORE)



On the Web:
Sigmund, Carl and Alfred: Sunlight In Canada - A few days ago, Toronto Star columnist Haroon Siddiqui wrote Harper’s Extreme Position No Way To Support Israel, in which he takes Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to task for remarks he made in support of Israel. What did Mr Harper say that Mr Siddiqui found so outrageous? “‘Unfortunately, Israel at 60 remains a country under threat – threatened by those groups and regimes who deny to this day its right to exist,’ he told a Toronto celebration marking the anniversary. ‘And why? Look beyond the thinly veiled rationalizations: Because they hate Israel, just as they hate the Jewish people.’” Siddiqui takes great offense when Harper does no more than state the obvious. (READ MORE)

Some Soldier's Mom: Answering Email - I received this via email from a kindly Congressional staffer who wanted to make sure I had seen it. "Hi Carla – I read your blog post on veterans' mental health, and thought you might be interested in this story. Best, K" K, Thank you for thinking of me. I admire and am deeply appreciative of the [legislator]'s work on behalf of Veterans. However, I have concerns about straight statistics and the twisting (the magic of bad statistics) that occurs when released (and used inappropriately as in the past.) By that I mean that data is used to promote political bashing rather than reflect a true and sincere attempt to analyze why and how [fill in the blank] is occurring -- including how to "fix" the problem -- if, in fact, there is a problem and if is fixable at all. (READ MORE)

Marc Ambinder: Hillaryland: What The Heck Happened? - In a brilliant article, the New Republic's Michelle Cottle lets Hillaryland advisers, aides and adjuncts speak for themselves. Here are the insights I find to be most accurate or not so accurate. "Devastating vulnerabilities such as Obama's associations with Wright and Ayers were not unearthed by the campaign's vaunted research team in time to be fully taken advantage of--despite being readily available in the public domain." This relates to the larger problem of not having taken Obama seriously and then, when the time came to take him seriously, being trapped in the wilderness of racial politics. (READ MORE)

Information Dissemination: Same Message On Iran in America - Barak Obama may be coming out of his shell regarding foreign policy. About time, he has been obviously absent from the discussion, relying solely on talking points. Because Barak Obama is an excellent communicator, he has the ability to do one thing the other candidates cannot, explain the difficulties of foreign policy in a way that Americans understand. Contrasted with the last 8 years, it will be enlightenment to many. Foreign Policy is the most important responsibility for the President of the United States. Barak Obama doesn't have a lot of experience in this field, which should be a VP consideration. His inexperience was highlighted today in his statement following the overreaction to yesterday's comment, and it drives home a point we have covered on this blog that America has few options with Iran right now. (READ MORE)

Humbled Infidel: May 17, 2008 Armed Forces Day - On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense. Each of the military leagues and orders was asked to drop sponsorship of its specific service day in order to celebrate the newly announced Armed Forces Day. The Army, Navy and Air Force leagues adopted the newly formed day. The Marine Corps League declined to drop support for Marine Corps Day but supports Armed Forces Day, too. In a speech announcing the formation of the day, President Truman "praised the work of the military services at home and across the seas" and said, "it is vital to the security of the nation and to the establishment of a desirable peace." (READ MORE)

Dr. iRack: A New Tone from Tehran? - Dr. iRack has been traveling, so he's just now catching up with some reading. This story from the Christian Science Monitor a few days ago stands out as particularly intriguing. It provides new details on Iran's interventions to broker ceasefires in Basra and Sadr City. The most interesting part of the story is a previously unreported secret April 4 meeting between Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Quds Force Commander Brig. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. “In that meeting, General Soleimani ‘was deeply concerned’ and ‘promised to stop arming groups in Iraq and to ensure that groups halt activities against US forces,’ according to a description given by a US official to the Monitor. Soleimani gave Mr. Talabani a ‘message’ for US Gen. David Petraeus, too. He noted that his portfolio includes Iraq, Gaza, and Lebanon and that he was willing to ‘send a small team’ to ‘discuss any issue’ with the Americans.” (READ MORE)

Thus Spake Ortner: The Mojave Desert Cross - I am reticent to post this, since no doubt our newest bestest buddy Anon will accuse me of posting something serious in response to him. However, S6R and I discussed this issue this morning and it does warrant some discussion. The 9th Circuit decided yesterday against rehearing the case of the Mojave Desert memorial Cross. That means the previous order to remove the cross will stand. The 9th Circuit opinion is directly contrary to the 7th Circuit on the question of whether transferring land containing a memorial cross from government to public control will negate the First Amendment problems. (READ MORE)

This Ain't Hell: 46Q refuses deployment to Iraq (UPDATED 2X) - Actually, I read this yesterday at the IVAW OneStop about Matthis Chiroux who refused to go to Iraq, but I’d had enough of IVAW for one day. But now it won’t seem to disappear. Zero Ponsdorf sent me this Breitbart link; “‘I stand before you today with the strength and clarity and resolve to declare to the military, my government and the world that this soldier will not be deploying to Iraq,’ Chiroux said in the sun-filled rotunda of a congressional building in Washington. ‘My decision is based on my desire to no longer continue violating my core values to support an illegal and unconstitutional occupation… I refuse to participate in the Iraq occupation,’ he said, as a dozen veterans of the five-year-old Iraq war looked on.” (READ MORE)

The Midnight Sun: Muslims who just don’t understand the true meaning of ‘Jihad’ - Yesterday I watched a hilarious video of Mark Steyn [Hat tip Hang Right Politics] debating a couple of angry, unwilling Muslims. I managed to find it on Youtube as well, there are 5 parts, well worth the time folks. The Muslims like leftists were quite angry that Steyn was sounding the alarm about the problem of intolerance amongst, shall we say a growing minority, of Muslims. They keep insisting everywhere you turn that there isn’t a problem, Islam is peaceful and it’s only a few crazies, the Christians are just as terrible if not worse and that if only we’d all just shut up and sing kumbaya it would all just magically go away. No matter how many examples of jihad and violence are given, these deniers accuse us of xenophobia, Islamophobia, homophobia and arachnophobia. Oh alright I just threw the last two in because I’m cheeky, although if they could get away with it I’m sure the deniers would be happy to throw those slurs our way too. (READ MORE)

Lorie Byrd: More Distortion from the Left - Obama was all over the television today in a speech telling his audience that John McCain was guilty of what he accused Obama of doing. Jamie Rubin referenced an old McCain interview he claimed showed that McCain would be softer on Hamas than Obama would be and Obama ran with it. Surprise, surprise -- not true. Rubin left out a bit of the interview in his account. [...] I thought it was clear enough from the edited portion Rubin did quote that McCain was not talking about taking the kind of stance on Iran that Obama did. McCain's statement, "They're the government and sooner or later we're going to have to deal with them in one way or another," is not the same as what Obama has said and even posted on his own website about talking to Iran "without preconditions." The full excerpt makes it absolutely clear that McCain would only do so after Hamas had met certain conditions. (READ MORE)

Ron Winter: What If Clinton Forces Second Convention Vote on Obama? - I am not by any means an expert on political convention procedures, Republican or Democrat, but I do know that somewhere in the process, if a first vote doesn't produce a clear nominee, pledged delegates are released to vote their own minds. What happens to the ever so well-crafted numbers that the media has been throwing at us for months now if the first vote doesn't produce a nominee? What happens if Hillary Clinton gets enough delegates in the remaining primaries to deny Barack Obama the majority he needs to claim victory? (READ MORE)

Winds of Change: Lebanon's Future - Lebanon will not become the next Gaza. Commenters both inside and outside the country compared Hezbollah's invasion of West Beirut last week to the Hamas takeover of Gaza last year, which is perhaps understandable: that's what it looked like. If Lebanon's mainstream Sunni-dominated party—Saad Hariri's Future Movement—has a militia that is able and willing to fight, it didn't make much of an appearance. Hezbollah seized the western half of the city in a walk. Most journalists focused on this portion of the conflict because West Beirut is where almost every journalist in Lebanon lives and where almost every hotel for visiting journalists is located. (READ MORE)

Neil Netanel: Blood Libel or Just Libel? - France’s public broadcaster, France 2, has sued blogger-media critic, Philippe Karsenty, for libel. The lawsuit centers on Karsenty’s allegation that the scene, which France 2 broadcast in September 2000, of twelve-year old Muhammad al-Dura crouching behind his father in a Gaza intersection moments before he was reportedly shot and killed by Israeli gunfire was staged by Palestinians on the street and that France 2 and its Jerusalem bureau chief, Charles Enderlin, are now covering up the hoax. The France 2 broadcast, filmed by France 2’s Palestinian cameraman, Talal Abu Ramah, with Enderlin’s voiceover stating that the father and son "are the target of fire from the Israeli positions" and that the son was shot dead, helped to fuel the Second Intifada in September 2000 and became an incendiary icon throughout the Middle East and beyond. (READ MORE)

The Tygrrrr Express: RJC in DC–Wisdom from the White House - I had the pleasure recently of attending the most recent leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition. This meeting was held in Washington, DC. It was held at the St. Regis Hotel on K Street, across the street from the White House. The initial plan was to meet people at the White House, but due to logistics, the members of the President’s staff came to the hotel instead. There were fine minds as always, and it was an absolute thrill meeting Sir Charles of Krauthammer. Given the substance of these meetings, more than one day is required to give the events justice. Also, for reasons of confidentiality, some information is redacted. Nevertheless, below are some remarks from some of the speakers, all of whom contributed to a quality conference. (READ MORE)

Have an interesting post or know of a "must read?" Then send a trackback here and let us all know about it. Or you can send me an email with a link to the post and I'll update the Recon.

From the Front: 05/16/2008

News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.

In their own words:
IraqPundit: Juan Cole the Secret Neocon - Is Juan Cole in need of a holiday? I ask because today he let it slip that he is, after all, a secret Neocon. True, he hasn't shown me his Neocon decoder ring or offered me the secret handshake. On the other hand, he did say this about relations between the U.S. and Ahmad Chalabi: "This time the issue is said to be his deteriorating relations with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his closeness to Brig. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of the Jerusalem (Quds) Brigades of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Actually my suspicion is that Chalabi is supporting the Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr and that is the real reason for the tension with him." (READ MORE)

Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal: The Night of Gun-Toting, Barrel-Blazing Ghost Pandas - Gunfire in Iraq is not a rare thing – especially at night. Most of the time, the scattered, random shots heard somewhere off in the distant shadows fade away with time, not warranting any American attention other than a brief radio report sent from the roof of the combat outpost. That’s most of the time. Occasionally though, the scattered, random shots do not fade – instead progressing into something military vernacular junkies describe as “direct” and “sustained;” i.e. a firefight. This kind of gunplay tends to require our own special brand of attentive intervention. The night of the ghost pandas was one of these times. In vintage Gravedigger fashion, my platoon was set in a late-night OP, bantering back and forth on our internal net as a means of staying awake. (READ MORE)

LT Nixon: Iraq News (16 May) - The Good: A Iraqi Parliament member has claimed that national reconciliation has taken place amongst quarreling blocs, which is a way to convince investors in Egypt to bring in more money. Arab investors have been sluggish to invest in Iraq due to security issues and perceived corruption within the Iraqi government. However, Iraq doesn't have any trouble bringing in money from religious tourists to its holy cities of Karbala and Najaf. Militia thugs have relocated their operations to the northwestern Baghdad neighborhood of Shula (a Mahdi Army stronghold), but according to Long War Journal, US and Iraqi Forces are taking them down. Mosul operations continue to dismantle terrorist networks in what the media is describing as house to house. The Bad: CNN breaks the news that recent clashes by Iraqi Security Forces are endemic of a Shi'ite power struggle. (READ MORE)

Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: MARCENT CG assesses progress, discusses operations in al Anbar - CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (May 14, 2008) – The commanding general for Marine Forces Central Command and I Marine Expeditionary Force met with Regimental Combat Team 1’s staff during a battle space tour in the Multi-National Forces-West area of operations, May 14. Lt. Gen. Samuel T. Helland discussed operations with the RCT-1 command and assessed progress in the Anbar region during his short visit. The Marines, sailors and soldiers of RCT-1 are currently operating throughout the Anbar province to include the greater Fallujah and Ramadi areas; maintaining security and stability, eliminating insurgent threats, and working alongside the Iraqi Police and Army towards transition every day. (READ MORE)

Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: Iraqi Police lead from the front with 3/6 - FALLUJAH, Iraq (May 7, 2008) – Improvised explosive device sweeps and food bag deliveries are just two examples of the daily tasks Company K, 3rd Battalion 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team-1 and Iraqi Police (IP) are performing together in the Khadairy district and surrounding areas in Fallujah. As Coalition forces transition their security role to IPs, they conduct countless patrols at all hours through their area of operation while IPs lead from the front. When IPs patrol the streets and generate local interaction, they can be viewed as the proverbial “tip of the spear” in the eyes of Coalition forces and more importantly the citizens of Fallujah. (READ MORE)

IN-iraq: Transformation of Yathreeb - Yathreeb, Iraqi- The town children call him “Mister John”. He kneels to talk to them and they ask him when he’s bringing soccer balls. The local armed citizens know his face. Lt. Col. John Dunleavy and his Personal Security Detail regularly patrol these streets. They smile and wave. It wasn’t like this several months ago. “It’s all happening right now,” Dunleavy, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division said. “Lots of folks are moving here, (Yathreeb area) because it’s a good area now.” It’s hard not to believe a commander who patrols the same streets with his soldiers. (READ MORE)

CPT Matthew Ryan: The Taliban can't run a town, how could they rule the world? - Life here has fallen into a regular grind. We have a schedule that we follow with meetings, deadlines and daily/ weekly and monthly products that have to be produced. Forms are filled out, convoys are executed and missions are planned and done like clock work. I truly believe that any job is just that, a job. The difference is that here a job can suddenly change into an adventure or a trauma. Thank God we have not had any real trauma close to us yet. With the poppy harvest coming to a close, we expect to see our little "friends" less interested in harvesting and more motivated to take over the world. (READ MORE)

Bill Roggio: Attacks decrease in Sadr City; fighting shifts to western Baghdad - With the cease-fire agreement between the Sadrist movement and the Iraqi government now in full effect after the four-day grace period that began on May 11, the fighting in Sadr City has decreased, but has not halted. The Mahdi Army continues to attack US and Iraqi troops as they work to complete the barrier along Qods Street in Sadr City, but the attack tempo has slowed, according to Multinational Forces Iraq. The US military believes the fighting has shifted to western Baghdad to deflect attention from Sadr City.From March 25 until last weekend, US and Iraqi security forces were engaged in major battles in Sadr City. Mahdi Army fighters were killed at a rate of nearly 20 per day, during which it was not uncommon for 20 to 30 Mahdi Army fighters to be killed in a single engagement. (READ MORE)

Toby Nunn: IF - The time to move out of our tents has arrived. Its funny how we lived a transient lifestyle for the past year and a half moving from one state to another, one country to another, one camp to another and one tent to another. We live out of duffle bags and rucksacks or what ever we could jam into our trucks that didn’t take away from water, medical supplies, ammo and food. I walked around the tents we have been in since the new guys got here and realized how we got by with so little. Of course that was not the same thought that was going through my head when I carried my 69,6 lbs box to the post office hoping no sand would get in and put me over the 70lbs limit but for the most part we got by with very little. I had some extra gear with the camera’s and my laptop, elmo and some human work out clothes but for the most part we had nothing. (READ MORE)



Back but still writing:
Yellowhammering Afghanistan: Home at last - After a day of bus rides and airplane flights we were finally reunited with our families for a very brief ceremony in Montgomery Tuesday night. Family and friends cheered as our bus pulled in at the armory in Montgomery. After hugs, kisses and congratulations were passed around, all of us were just ready to get home. As we neared home, signs, banners and balloons lined our street and were scattered on the roadways in McCalla. (Thank you, Grafix South for the great job on all the signs and the Collins and Wade families for the surprise balloon work.) After opening some "welcome home" gifts, I shifted back into "Daddy" mode and read a bedtime story to Michaela and Flannery. Once they were tucked in, I shifted into "husband" mode and, uh, did other things. Yesterday, I took the girls to school, said hello to the teachers and spent the day with Alison car shopping and buying me some new clothes (I left a few pounds in Afghanistan). Being together with her and the girls are the highlight of the homecoming, by far. (READ MORE)


News from the Front:
Iraq:
MND-B Soldiers detain suspected IED emplacer, weapons trafficker - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers detained a suspected criminal at approximately 2:30 a.m. May 15 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted a point-specific operation to detain a suspected Special Groups criminal wanted in connection with extra-judicial killings, improvised explosive device attacks and weapons trafficking. (READ MORE)

Criminals fire mortar round, local market burns down - FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – Special Groups criminals fired an 82 mm mortar at a Coalition force base that missed its target and landed near a market in the Karadah security district of Baghdad at 11:32 p.m. May 13. Approximately 30 minutes after the initial attack, the market near the impact of the criminal’s attack burned down. It is not known at this time if the incidents are related; however, Coalition force officials from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light), are investigating an Iraqi National Police report attributing the cause of the fire to faulty electrical wiring on a generator. (READ MORE)

Iranian nationals wounded in car near Baghdad - BAGHDAD, Iraq – The Iraqi Army discovered four wounded Iranian nationals in a vehicle driven by an Iraqi national near Baghdad yesterday. All four wounded were taken to a local hospital for treatment according to Iraqi army reports. There have been numerous press reports indicating U.S. forces were involved in this unfortunate incident. "We want to make it clear that the U.S. was in no way involved in this attack,” said COL Jerry O'Hara, U.S. military spokesman. (READ MORE)

Sons of Iraq graduate Iraqi Police training in Hawija - TIKRIT, Iraq – More than three hundred former Sons of Iraq members are now Iraqi Policemen after successfully completing eight weeks of training at the Kirkuk Police Academy during a graduation ceremony May 15, in this northeastern province. The ceremony was attended by Kirkuk City and provincial government officials and Iraqi Security Forces, alongside Coalition force leadership. “The province has shown tremendous progress in the last year. Events like this prove we are taking the necessary steps to show the world this province will stand together to defeat terrorists and establish rule of law,” Col. David Paschal, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division told the graduating class.(READ MORE)

Joint patrol yields multiple caches in Maderiyah - BAGHDAD – A joint route reconnaissance mission in Maderiyah led to the discovery of six separate weapons caches May 13, to include 300 anti-personnel grenades. The first cache contained one 120 mm mortar round, one 100 mm anti-aircraft round, 12 rocket-propelled grenade warheads, eight 73 mm rockets and a mortar tripod. All weapons were serviceable and the rockets were still in their plastic containers. (READ MORE)

One terrorist killed, 19 detained in Coalition operations - BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed one terrorist and detained 19 suspected terrorists during operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq criminals in central and northern Iraq Friday. Coalition forces targeted members of AQI suicide bombing cells near Khan Bani Sa’ad, about 20 miles north of Baghdad. While targeting an individual who supplies explosives to the cell, an enemy suspect refused to obey Coalition forces instructions to surrender. Perceiving hostile intent, he was killed when he attempted to flee through a security perimeter. Another man in the area was taken into custody. (READ MORE)

MND-B Soldiers kill 1 criminal, detain 5, seize weapons (Baghdad) - BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers detained five criminals, killed one and seized weapons in separate events in Baghdad May 14-15. Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, MND-B, were struck by an explosively-formed projectile improvised-explosive device that damaged one vehicle during a patrol in eastern Baghdad at approximately 11 a.m. May 15. After the EFP strike, criminals continued the attack on the patrol with small-arms fire. The Soldiers returned fire and killed one criminal and wounded another. No Soldiers were injured in the attack. (READ MORE)

Iraqi Army captures Special Groups cell leader in Husayniyah - BALAD, Iraq – The Iraqi Army captured a mid-level Special Groups cell leader in Husayniyah, responsible for coordinating improvised explosive device, rocket and smallarms fire attacks against Iraqi Security and Coalition forces, approximately 30 km north of Baghdad, May 15. Iraqi Army soldiers conducted the operation to capture the Special Groups cell leader whose cell conducted attacks against the ISF and CF as recent as April 22. (READ MORE)

Iraqi Special Operations Forces capture terrorist in Mosul - BALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured a terrorist in western Mosul, Iraq, May 15. The ISOF conducted the operation to capture a member of the Islamic State of Iraq, a front organization for al-Qaeda in Iraq, responsible for improvised explosive device emplacement and providing information to the ISI about the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police. Six other suspects were detained in the operation. This operation is expected to disrupt the ISI cell’s terrorist activities and diminish future attacks on IA and Coalition forces in western Mosul. (READ MORE)

Bridge Linking Busayefi to Hawr Rajab Opens - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Brightly painted flowers, hearts and polka-dots color the new bridge with cheery symbols. Most importantly, the bridge’s construction between the communities of Busayefi and Hawr Rajab paints a symbol of unity. Once under the control of insurgents, the communities became isolated; they were also separated from each other by the Mercedes Canal. Thanks to the efforts of Coalition forces, Iraqi Army and citizens tired of violence, the insurgents were driven away. However, the canal still isolated them from one another. (READ MORE)

General Cites Iranian Links to ‘Special Groups’ Terrorists in Iraq - WASHINGTON — So-called “special groups” terrorists operating in Iraq apparently are receiving training, arms and funding from Iranian sources, a senior U.S. military official posted in Iraq said May 14. “Over the course of the last several months, we have publicly discussed numerous times, and shown numerous times, the evidence on four separate occasions on what we have found and continue to find: Iranian-made weapons in the hands of criminals in Iraq,” Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner told reporters during a Baghdad news conference. (READ MORE)

Marne Dauntless to Improve Quality of Life, Eliminate Extremists - BAGHDAD — Multi-National Division – Center launched a major operation May 15 to improve the quality of life for Iraqi citizens of the Mada’in Qada, in southeast Baghdad Province. Marne Dauntless will build capacity for stability and security in a new part of MND-C’s battle space. This operation builds on the success of Operation Marne Piledriver, which kicked off in April across the Mahmudiyah Qada, south of Baghdad. 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division is assuming authority from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and will be responsible for Marne Dauntless. (READ MORE)

IA, GoI, Local Government Take Lead in Providing Aid to Sadr City Residents - CAMP LIBERTY — Residents in Sadr City continue to receive humanitarian aid from their local government, the government of Iraq, Iraqi army soldiers and Multi-National Division – Baghdad with the help of the recently opened Civil Military Operations Center and Iraqi Assistance Center at Joint Security Station Thawra 1. At the CMOC, local government officials, GoI officials and the Iraqi army receive guidance from MND-B Soldiers to plan and carry out operations to better the infrastructure and essential services as well as supply food, water and other necessities to the people of Sadr City. (READ MORE)

U.S. Troops Work Together with Georgian Soldiers - FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Soldiers stationed at Combat Outpost Cleary have been working closely with soldiers from Georgia as part of Task Force Petro. Task Force Petro is a combined effort involving the Georgian forces along with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, and the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, to bring peace to Iraq and improve living conditions both on and off of COP Cleary. (READ MORE)

U.S. General Cites Steady Progress in Baghdad, Basra, Mosul - BAGHDAD — Iraqi and U.S. forces are making progress while performing counterinsurgency and reconstruction missions across Iraq, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said May 14. Iraqi and coalition forces continue to make gains in establishing security and enforcing the rule of law in Baghdad, Mosul and Basra over the past week, Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multi-National Force - Iraq spokesman, told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. (READ MORE)

Web Reconnaissance for 05/16/2008

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.


In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Chinese Open Wallets for Quake Aid - BEIJING, May 15 At the headquarters of the Red Cross Society of China, volunteers turned a boardroom into a makeshift cashier's office Thursday, sending tens of thousands of fluttering bank notes through counting machines and handing receipts to people like Cai Lili, 30, who stood in long lines with... (READ MORE)

McCain Sees U.S. Troops Leaving Iraq by 2013 - COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 15 -- Sen. John McCain on Thursday offered for the first time what he hopes will be an end date for the war in Iraq, part of a vision he presented in which his policies lead to peace and prosperity at home and abroad by 2013, the end of what would be his first term as president. (READ MORE)

Women Rise in Rwanda's Economic Revival - MARABA, Rwanda -- Sun-kissed plantations ring this village, renowned in recent years for growing the rich arabica beans brewed and served in some of the world's finest coffee houses. But the secret to success here has had far less to do with the idyllic climate and volcanic soil than with a group... (READ MORE)

War Funding Bill Stalls in House - An odd coalition of angry Republicans and antiwar Democrats yesterday torpedoed a $162.5 billion proposal to continue funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving the House to pass a measure that demands troop withdrawals, bans torture and expands education benefits for returning veterans. (READ MORE)

Bush's Comments In Israel Fuel Anger - JERUSALEM, May 15 -- On an emotional visit to mark Israel's 60th anniversary, President Bush on Thursday compared people seeking talks with Iran and radical Islamic groups to the Nazis' appeasers, provoking a political storm at home and accusations that he was politicizing the celebration. (READ MORE)

McCain widens dialogue on blogs - Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is trying to tap a new audience of potential voters by taking his campaign message straight to liberal and nonpolitical issues-based blogs, which reach millions of readers but don't often delve into conservative politics. (READ MORE)

Passport cards called security vulnerability - The State Department will soon begin production of an electronic passport card that security specialists and members of Congress fear will be vulnerable to alteration or counterfeiting. (READ MORE)

Bush exalts ties to Israel - President Bush brought Israel's parliament to its feet yesterday with a rousing speech that described U.S. ties to the Jewish state as a biblical bond and the two nations as eternal allies in the war against terrorism. (READ MORE)

House GOP strips war funds from bill - The Democrat-led House yesterday passed a war-funding bill that failed to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (READ MORE)

Delay gay marriage, California court urged - Traditional values groups will ask the California Supreme Court to stay its landmark decision legalizing gay marriage until the voters can weigh in in November, warning of a "chaotic" situation if it is implemented sooner. (READ MORE)

'Sweetie' leaves bad taste for Obama critics - The presidential election has veered onto another odd tangent, courtesy of Sen. Barack Obama, who uttered not an epithet nor insult against blue-collar workers — but a term of endearment. (READ MORE)

Uptick splits economic forecasters - A slight improvement in the economy in the past month has touched off a raging debate among titans of the economic world over whether the worst of the housing and mortgage crisis is over. (READ MORE)

Political War Games - Congress's approval rating is at record lows, but who cares? The Democrats who run the joint have made a calculation that voters will blame everything they loathe about Washington on the Republican President. Which is precisely the kind of political immunity that lets Democrats think they can get away with the tax, spend and evade spectacle of this week's war-funding bill. (READ MORE)

Chávez and Colombia - Interpol yesterday issued its findings on the authenticity of the computer files seized from Colombian terrorists in March, and they won't make Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez's day. "We are absolutely certain that the computer exhibits that our experts examined came from a FARC terrorist camp," said Robert Noble, head of the international police agency. (READ MORE)

Gay Marriage Returns - Just when the news was filling with stories about a Republican Party gasping for air, along comes the California Supreme Court's 4-3 decision yesterday legislating gay marriage. The GOP certainly hasn't done anything to deserve such luck. Recall how in November 2003 the Massachusetts Supreme Court, also by a 4-3 vote, issued a similar gay marriage pronouncement. It dogged Democrat John Kerry all the way to Election Day. (READ MORE)



On the Web:
Fred Thompson: The Place to Discuss Our Fundamental Principles - Spending some time on the campaign trail has confirmed a couple of thoughts I’ve had before I entered the Republican primary race. First, conservatism is alive and well in America; don’t let anyone tell you differently. And by conservatism, I don’t mean the warmed-over “raise your hand if you believe …” kind of conservatism we see blooming every election cycle. No, I’m speaking of the conservatism grounded in principles based upon enduring truths: an understanding of the importance of human nature in the affairs of individuals and nations. Respect for the lessons of history, the importance of faith and tradition. The understanding that while man is prone to err, he is capable of great things when not subjugated by a too-powerful government. These are the principles that inspired our Founding Fathers... (READ MORE)

Charles Krauthammer: Home for the Lost Tribes of Israel - WASHINGTON -- Before sending Lewis and Clark west, Thomas Jefferson dispatched Meriwether Lewis to Philadelphia to see Dr. Benjamin Rush. The eminent doctor prepared a series of scientific questions for the expedition to answer. Among them, writes Stephen Ambrose: "What Affinity between their (the Indians') religious Ceremonies & those of the Jews?" Jefferson and Lewis, like many of their day and ours, were fascinated by the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, and thought they might be out there on the Great Plains. They weren't. They aren't anywhere. Their disappearance into the mists of history since their exile from Israel in 722 B.C. is no mystery. It is the norm, the rule for every ancient people defeated, destroyed, scattered and exiled. (READ MORE)

Hugh Hewitt: Polar Bear Pushback - After 18 years of a law practice devoted to counseling landowners, home builders and commercial interests affected by the long arm and severe penalties of the Endangered Species Act, I am used to incredulous looks and outraged oaths from clients coming to grips with the Act's incredible burdens on impacted private citizens. "Are you telling me I can't build my Burger King because a Delhi Sands flower-loving fly that has never been seen and is above ground only a few days a year might be near-by?" "I can't build a connector road because the noise from construction might damage the hearing of the Stephens' kangaroo rat thus impairing its reproduction?" "All construction in San Diego involving impacts to road ruts which might contain Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp is enjoined? All construction?" Yes, yes, and yes. (READ MORE)

David Limbaugh: None Dare Call It 'Appeasement' - Let me get this straight. It's perfectly fair for Barack Obama and his cohorts to repeatedly disparage President Bush's foreign policy as "cowboy diplomacy" but unspeakably horrific for Bush to analogize the Democrats' approach to foreign policy to appeasing Hitler? When Obama compared Hillary Clinton's threats against Iran to President Bush's threatening "bluster" and "cowboy diplomacy," no one batted an eye. But when Mr. Bush, in addressing Israel's Knesset, compared those who want to negotiate with today's terrorists and tyrants to an American senator in 1939 who lamented that Hitler's march into Poland might have been avoided "if only I could have talked to Hitler," Obama, other Democrats and the mainstream media went ballistic. What's wrong with the president assuring our major Middle East ally that, under his watch at least, America will stand by it against our common enemies, such as the Holocaust-denying Iranian regime? (READ MORE)

Kathleen Parker: Democrats Offer Thrills 'n' Chills - WASHINGTON -- Well, at least they didn't kiss. I was bracing myself for the lip lock Wednesday when John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Don't look at me. None other than David "Mudcat" Saunders, Edwards' former rural adviser, came up with the idea when he said Obama should kiss Edwards on the lips "to kill this 41-point loss," referring to Hillary Clinton's landslide victory Tuesday in the West Virginia primary. Instead, the two men exchanged a manly air-hug to commemorate the moment when Edwards threw Clinton under the upholstered sofa on his grandmama's front porch and anointed the Illinois senator with snake oil left over from his own campaign. As Edwards gave what amounted to a stump speech highlighting his favorite subject -- John Edwards -- and his own anti-poverty initiative, Americans were reminded of why the North Carolina son-of-a-millworker won't be their presidential nominee. (READ MORE)

Donald Lambro: Primary Turnout Claims Turn Out To Be Half-Baked - WASHINGTON -- Democrats are claiming that high voter turnout in their primaries is proof positive that they'll win the White House in November. It is a familiar claim, made by one party or the other, that pops up every four years, but it contains not a morsel of truth. Many studies show no correlation between party primary participation and general election results. Nevertheless, in a memorandum to its supporters and the news media, the Democratic National Committee is crowing, "(R)ecord turnout during the primaries has been transformational for the Democratic Party as record numbers of new voters are being registered." In this equation, new primary voters equal more general election votes. "Democrats are energized all across the country and ... if Democrats show up and talk about our values, we will win," the memo asserts. (READ MORE)

Oliver North: Terror Terminology - LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The term "politically correct" is defined by The American Heritage Dictionary thus: "Of, relating to, or supporting broad social, political, and educational change, especially to redress historical injustices in matters such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation." Add to that litany of "historical injustices" the title of my New York Times best-seller: "American Heroes in the Fight Against Radical Islam." In recent weeks, the vocabulary police opened a new front in the war on terror by issuing a list of do's and don'ts for terrorism terminology. In an effort to fight a kinder, gentler war on Islamic radicals, the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with unnamed Islamic interest groups, has issued a paper titled "Terminology to Define the Terrorists: Recommendations From American Muslims." (READ MORE)

Rich Lowry: A Fire Bell In The Night - In 2006, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel had an inspiration: run culturally conservative Democrats in culturally conservative congressional districts. This doesn't sound like the stuff of strategic brilliance, but it meant overcoming the cultural condescension of most national Democrats. In his 2006 book "The Plan," Emanuel knocked "What's the Matter With Kansas?" author Thomas Frank for declaring cultural issues less important than economic ones: "It's insulting to suggest that blue-collar workers are wrong to make faith or conscience, not money, their bottom line." Emanuel's relatively conservative candidates carried districts in 2006 that Democrats had little business winning, and his approach is still working now. In Mississippi, Republicans just lost a special election in a congressional district they thought would be a showcase for the drag Barack Obama will have on his party. (READ MORE)

John McCaslin: Who Needs a TV? - That was a fly on the wall of the greenroom of the Fox News Channel in Washington listening to Frank Luntz, the former Republican Capitol Hill strategist-turned-Fox pollster-pundit, tell network associates that House Republicans are headed for a 20-seat loss in November based on their "inability and unwillingness to drive an effective message." Mr. Luntz, who was exiled by the current Republican minority leadership, but still has close ties to many members, said off-air that congressional Republicans are in even more trouble now than they were in 2006, when he went public before the election to warn that their majority was in real danger. Asked before a taping of the show "Hannity & Colmes" whether things could turn around for the Republicans between now and Election Day, Mr. Luntz's response was emphatic: (READ MORE)

Amanda Carpenter: Obama Says Bush Is 'Politicizing' Israel - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama says President George Bush is engaging in the “politicization of foreign policy” in a speech to celebrate Israel’s 60th birthday Tuesday morning. Before the Israeli Knesset the President said: “Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: ‘Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.’ We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.” The Obama campaign released a statement sharply criticizing Bush for these statements. (READ MORE)

Peggy Noonan: Pity Party - The Democrats aren't the ones falling apart, the Republicans are. The Democrats can see daylight ahead. For all their fractious fighting, they're finally resolving their central drama. Hillary Clinton will leave, and Barack Obama will deliver a stirring acceptance speech. Then hand-to-hand in the general, where they see their guy triumphing. You see it when you talk to them: They're busy being born. The Republicans? Busy dying. The brightest of them see no immediate light. They're frozen, not like a deer in the headlights but a deer in the darkness, his ears stiff at the sound. Crunch. Twig. Hunting party. (READ MORE)

Kimberly A. Strassel: The State of the Union? Furious. - Fans of HBO's "The Wire" know fictional Baltimore Mayor Tommy Carcetti. The reformer spends his first days in office screeching through every public-works unit, railing about an abandoned car here, a leaking hydrant there. Shocked city administrators ask their angry new boss: Where is the abandoned car? Which leaking hydrant? The mayor won't specify. In fear, they mobilize their forces to pick up all the abandoned cars, to fix all the hydrants. The beat-down citizens of Baltimore cheer. Mayor Carcetti smiles. Republicans ought to watch "The Wire." (READ MORE)

James Freeman: Eliot Spitzer and the Decline of AIG - AIG shareholders gathered for the big insurer's annual meeting in New York on Wednesday, and the mood wasn't cheery. After a three-year experiment in Eliot Spitzer-imposed management that has cost them billions, more than a few shareholders were pining for the days of former CEO Hank Greenberg. "He did a heck of a job," said one shareholder heading out of the meeting. "He's a good man," offered another. "He would take firmer action" to address the company's current problems said a third. The 83-year-old Mr. Greenberg will apparently have none of it, telling the Journal this week, "I do not want to return in any official capacity." However, the man who built AIG into a global powerhouse over 38 years isn't going away quietly. (READ MORE)

Joe Queenan: Hillary Is Too Boring to Be President - Journalists like to pretend that it makes no difference to them who gets elected president, but this is a lie. A few years ago, I disclosed in print that I had two handwritten notes from Steve Forbes that would vastly increase in value were he elected to the highest office in the land. Yes, I admired my ex-employer's pluck and thought he had some wonderful ideas about simplifying the tax code. But the main reason I supported his candidacy was because of those two collectibles I could cash in. I may be venal and morally rudderless, but at least I'm honest. (READ MORE)

Leslie Hook: Burma's Junta Will Survive the Cyclone - It's tempting to see the destruction wrought by Cyclone Nargis as a catalyst for democratic change in Burma. After all, other unpopular regimes have been undermined by natural disasters – think Managua in 1972, or Mexico City in 1985. But the key lesson of Nargis's aftermath is that the military junta may be here to stay. The generals have no other goal. Led by Than Shwe, they manage a vast security apparatus of 400,000 soldiers. Education, health care and infrastructure? Ignored. Democratic legitimacy? Who cares. This week, as if to ram this home, state media announced that the country had approved a new constitution enshrining the military's power through a rigged referendum that reported 99% turnout and a 92% "yes" vote. (READ MORE)

A Newt One: It IS Time - The Politico says that there are Six ways the GOP can save itself. In short, here is the list: 1. Get a clue - 2. Cut the crap - 3. Beg for help - 4. Burn the Bush - 5. Change the pitch - and your face - 6. Fan the fear The Mighty Knight and myself had a lengthy discussion yesterday and we were going to talk about these issues on my BTR show last night but, BTR, the sorry platform which it is, tanked and the show was canceled. We discussed what a Winning GOP Strategy would be and why the GOP would not use it. As we were talking and ranting, in the back of my mind the Politico piece was reverberating between my ears, a sometimes scary experience. Nevertheless, whereas I don't whole heartedly agree with the Politico's assessment, there are several crushing truths within the article. (READ MORE)

Lawhawk: New York Enacts Noose Display Crime Law - Governor David Paterson signed a noose display crime bill into law. The text of the bill can be found here, and it would make it the etching, painting, drawing or otherwise placing or displaying a noose, a symbol of racism and intimidation, on real property the crime of aggravated harassment in the first degree - a felony. “Nooses were found last year on a black professor’s door at Columbia University, outside a post office near ground zero in Lower Manhattan and in locations on Long Island.” Surprisingly, no one has been charged in connection with the crime at Columbia University, and there have been suggestions that the Columbia University incident was a hoax perpetrated by the professor on whose door the noose was hung,Professor Madonna Constantine, to get another professor in trouble. (READ MORE)

A Soldier's Mind: A Moment Of Silence Per Month In Honor Of The Dead And Injured - A law maker in North Carolina had made a proposal is looking for a way to send a clear signal to the military community, that the members of Congress are aware of their sacrifices. Representative Walter Jones, who himself has served in the North Carolina National Guard, has introduced a resolution calling for a change in House proceedures and he plans to take his cause directly to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Jones is asking for the House of Representatives to have a moment of silence, one day each month in recognition of the Troops who have been wounded or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. With all of the political grandstanding, when it comes to anything related to the wars, especially in Iraq, it’s often difficult for the Troops to really feel that anyone in Congress supports the Troops or that they recognize the sacrifices that they’re making. (READ MORE)

Neil Netanel: Copyright and the First Amendment - I argued in yesterday’s post that copyright burdens speech. Not all who posted comments agreed, but assuming I’m correct (and I’m not the only one to make that claim; others, including Eugene Volokh, have made similar arguments), what, if anything, should be done about it? Sometimes the law burdens speech for very good reason, such good reason that we favor the law over the speaker. The obvious, regularly noted example is forbidding falsely crying “fire” in a crowded theater. Laws against defamation, false advertising, misleading securities filings, and incitement to immediate violence are others, as are prohibitions on using sound trucks in a residential neighborhood and blasting music above a certain decibel level at an outdoor rock concert. (READ MORE)

Jay Tea: Just 'Cos - There's an old Bill Cosby bit that deals with shop class. One of the kids thought it would be funny to put a bullet in the furnace. Then, in the middle of class, the bullet explodes quite loudly. The shop teacher, wanting to find out who did it, starts insulting the student who'd do it. "You'd have to be pretty low-down to put a bullet in the furnace." When that doesn't work, he starts in on the student's mother. "You know, it says something about the mother of a person who would put a bullet in a furnace..." At that point, one student stands up and shouts at the teacher. "I didn't do it, and stop talking about my mother!" I was reminded of that yesterday when I heard that President Bush had denounced appeasing terrorists and the states that back them... (READ MORE)

Right Wing Nuthouse: AREN’T THERE ANY GROWN UPS IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY? - That wet spot you see forming under the chair of Will Bunch, Michael D., and even the normally reasonable Joe Gandleman is a sure sign that the brand of diapers these people are using just ain’t cuttin’ it. Might I suggest “Huggies Super Absorbent” for those times – like now – when you need that extra protection against leaks and overflow? What has many on the left squirming in their toddler seats due to the uncomfortable dampness in their tush was a speech made by our President to the Israeli Knesset celebrating the State of Israel’s 60th birthday. Now it is probably a good thing that no one asked our President to blow out the candles on the cake since his wind is probably not what it was a few years ago – having expended all that hot air in the meantime telling us what a success his excellent adventure in Iraq had become. But no matter. (READ MORE)

Ed Morrissey: Obama’s Tuzla Dash? Er, maybe - When Hillary Clinton needed to show that she had the courage to become Commander-in-Chief, she concocted the Tuzla Dash, telling a false story on at least four occasions how she had landed in Bosnia under fire when evidence clearly showed she lied. When Barack Obama needed to show that he had political courage, he concocted a story about his reception in Detroit after demanding higher gas-mileage standards. Are these two the same? “Is this another Bosnian sniper incident, where a Democratic candidate for president describes a scene involving some personal courage, but later videotape shows that maybe perhaps it wasn’t really quite all like that exactly?” (READ MORE)

Allahpundit: (Video) Democratic women against Obama - I want to believe, but despite their claim of support among legions of women nationwide, I find myself … skeptical. There’s hardly anything on Google about the group and I’m unclear on what exactly their grievance is against Obama or the party itself, aside from their willingness to stand by and let Hillary be smeared misogynistically by “progressives” various and sundry even though she and her campaign haven’t raised much of a ruckus about it themselves. Note to self: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. The Democrats hate you, ladies; there can be but one solution. (READ MORE)

Blackfive: Vets Against the War on Capitol Hell - IVAW brought a few anti-war vets to capitol hill today to testify, not under oath (but they brought lawyers anyway), about war crimes, racism, tons of harsh language, starchy underwear, and really bad army food...oh, and one guy complaining that the military is racist because his unit referred to local Iraqis as Hadji. Over at "The Sniper", you have the run down of events, live blogged by Thus Spake Ortner, in hilarious fashion. The stuff is sad. - Farce in the time of Cholera: The not so under oath testimony of IVAW: “...OK kiddies, here we go. TSO is back in his Attila the Celt chair, ready and eager to listen to the testimony of the heroes of IVAW and give you a blow by blow commentary on the asshattery that will ensue before the Congress. And by ‘Congress’ I of course mean only those Members of the Progressive Caucus that actually go.” (READ MORE)

Don Surber: Gynephobia - Does Democratic Sen. Barack Obama have female troubles? As an observer of the absurd, i.e, politics, I look for patterns. If a guy writes a paean to a father who abandoned him as an infant instead of the mother and grandmother who raised him, I notice. I grew up under similar circumstances. I’m pretty sure my book would have been called, “Dreams From My Mother.” If a guy faced with the public revelation that his pastor and mentor is a race-baiting hater of the nation then says his grandmother was worse, I notice. If a guy dismisses with a sarcastic “sweetie” a question from a middle-aged female reporter. I notice. Pattern. A guy on Fox last night called it “gynephobia.” (READ MORE)

Dafydd: Appease Porridge Hot, Appease Porridge Cold - In a brilliant speech before the Knesset today, President George W. Bush said the following: “Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: ‘Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided.’ We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.” Almost immediately, Barack Obama reacted with volcanic fury, leaping to the conclusion that the warning against "appeasement" was aimed squarely at him: (READ MORE)

Big Dogs: Why Are the Democrats So Touchy? - The Democrats are up in arms over remarks that President Bush made while in Israel celebrating that country’s 60th anniversary. The President was speaking about terrorists, an appropriate subject given who surrounds Israel, when he made remarks that got the Democrat’s panties in a wad: “In his speech, Bush said: ‘Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along.’ The Crypt” Immediately the Democrats assumed that Bush was taking a veiled swipe at Obama who has advocated talking to terrorists. In fact, many people and countries have held this particular belief. France and Germany believed that talking was in order as did many Democrats as they moved to distance themselves from their vote to go to war. (READ MORE)

The Belmont Club: The silent city - Bush in Israel says "Masada shall never fall again." And he adds, "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history." Obama says, how dare you speak of me in that way? Peter Wehner at Commentary says: “Obama’s faux anger in reaction to Bush’s speech is ludicrous. For one thing, the President did not even mention Senator Obama in his speech.” (READ MORE)

Ace of Spades: How the Glacier Melted: Hillary's Staff Dishes - More than twelve Hillary staffers, we're told. from low-level grunts to money men to high-ranking senior staff, answered a questionnaire with full anonymity guaranteed. (Supposedly -- this is TNR, I should note.) So-- what went wrong? Short answer: Everything. Apart from the obvious answer that she was a poor candidate running against a good one (or, rather, an exciting one), here are some of the more interesting answers: “Clearly [Obama] was a phenomenon. He was tapping something really different than anyone had ever seen before. ... Months and months before Iowa, he was getting record crowds. I just think they should have really gone after him back in the summer and in the fall. I know it would have been a difficult decision to make back then. She's the leader of the party, the standard bearer, the big dog. Everyone thinks she's gonna win and walk away with it. Why go picking on Barack Obama? But that's just something the campaign should have done sooner.” (READ MORE)

Information Dissemination: Gates on Diplomats, Again... - Consider how strange the times we live in are. The nation has become hyper partisan in an election year with the nation engaged in two wars with challenges emerging on every policy front. Of all the places in government, we continue to observe the current Secretary of Defense, a position that has not had a strong showing for most of the administration, is where the voice of reason comes from most often in foreign policy. Who would have thought it would be the Secretary of Defense leading the charge for more civilian diplomats, definitely a telling sign of our time. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke today at the American Academy of Diplomacy and did a 45 minutes question and answer with the audience. Even though we don't always agree with him, we really like Gates. Once again, he makes his Kansas State argument. (READ MORE)

Skippy's List: On A Serious Note (No, Really) - Last week I played a prank on my readers, by leading them along about an unpleasant subject, before turning it into a joke. If you just got here, go ahead and read it now, I’ll wait. I’d say that I am sorry for doing that to my regular readers, but let’s face it. You know that I’m not, and that’s probably why you keep reading my site. Because you know that I have the capacity and the willingness to turn painful emotional turmoil into a bad pun. That’s just the kind of service I like to provide. But it has been pointed out to me that this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed publicly more often. We currently have a suicide epidemic amongst those that serve. Take a look at this article. (READ MORE)

This Ain't Hell: IVAW takes the Road Show to Congress - Well, your intrepid blogger immersed myself once again in the IVAW backwash. Thus Spake Ortner live blogged the hearing off the radio from the comfort of his Playboy Manor so you can probably read a more coherent version there. I’ve cracked open a Saranac Traditional Lager and I’m uploading pictures and suds while I type this. When I arrived - at exactly 7:30 - there was no one else there so I plugged in and started filming just in time to catch Geoff Millard doing what he does best - testing all of the microphones like a good little general’s gopher; But they asked me to leave and wait in the hall. The VVAW already had a guy at the table to the enterance. You remember VVAW - the guys that are babysitting IVAW to give them some leverage and the benefit of IVAW’s vast experience at being blowhards. (READ MORE)

Meryl Yourish: Rocket bombardment continues; Barak says not for much longer - I’ve been reading reports in various Israeli newspapers and other sources about the upcoming Gaza operation. They all seem to have the same background: The IDF will go in, but not in great force. Pinpoint operations to take out the terror infrastructure. If that’s the case, the operation will fail. The IDF went in to do just that months ago, after the bombardment of Sderot and southern Israel increased to fifty-plus rockets per day. The result is what you see now: Hamas and its proxies fire rockets wherever, whenever they want. They lose a crew here or there, but the rockets just keep coming. “‘You need to grit your teeth, but not for many more months,’ Barak told the residents of Ashkelon during a tour of the scene together with Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna’i and OC Home Front Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan. ‘We won’t allow this to continue for much longer. I am not talking about years or many months. We will do what needs to be done.’” (READ MORE)

Soccerdad: The real Palestinian collaborator - Often you’ll hear Palestinians complaining that Israel was founded due to European guilt over the Holocaust, but since they had nothing to do with the Holocaust, why should the Jews be allowed to create a state that dispossesses them? The Holocaust was European and the Palestinians argue they’re paying the price. While there were many forces at work to allow the return of the Jews to Israel and the (re-)creation of a Jewish state in the Middle East, certainly sympathy for the Jews after the Holocaust played a role. The status of the refugee demonstrated the need for a Jewish homeland. (A point that was emphasized by the expulsion of Jews from their homes in Arab lands after the UN approve the partition plan.) (READ MORE)

Stop the ACLU: Professor Sues Students For Doubting Harebrained ‘Theories’ - She claims that her students violated her civil rights. She says student’s “anti-intellectualism” made her life a living hell. So, this ex-Dartmouth professor is threatening to sue her students for the temerity to have doubted her harebrained theories on “ecofeminism” and the “French narrative theory.” Oh, professor Priya Venkatesan was all in high dudgeon that students would dare question her efforts to “problematize” science all right. She was all discombobulated that her students were “irrational,” and “subversive” with their questions. She even thought them filled with “fascist demagoguery” — after all, isn’t it “fascist” to ask questions and not t just swallow whole what a professor dishes out? Why, it was so horrible for her that she felt she had to consult a physician for her symptoms of “intellectual distress.” Joseph Rago of the Wall Street Journal has some more of the details. (READ MORE)

Loren Heal: The Race Martyr - The strategy is this: vote Obama, or you are a racist. A key element of that strategy is to focus on the voters, and not the candidate. That is why we will hear, for the next six months, that white rural voters are incurably racist and will not vote for Obama because he is black. But that's the wrong lesson to learn. Obama's support comes primarily from two groups: academics including college students, and blacks. But it must be noted that it is the liberal academics and liberal blacks who are voting for Obama. He is the most liberal Senator, which this year makes him the most liberal presidential candidate. Academics and blacks lean heavily to the left, hence their support for Obama. (READ MORE)

ROFASix: The Looming Universal Healthcare Debacle - After posting the video below on prescription prices and the advantages of shopping around, I began to muse what lies ahead should one of the two socialist liberals end up as the next President. First off, the spectre of the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch under control of the same party is a terrifying prospect. The image you get is sorta like staring up the end of a colonoscopy scope. We saw what happened when the "Ripofflicans" controlled both branches. It took them 12 years to reach a level of corruption and arrogance that it took the Dimo's four decades to achieve. The fact that voters might screw up and let is happen again is incomprehensible. If we have learned anything from the 110th Congress, it is simply that gridlock between the two branches offers some protection for the taxpayer from the politicians intent to legislate solutions which really means take more from the taxpayer. (READ MORE)

Matt Sanchez: Wiki-Whacked by Political Bias - With the presidential elections looming, Americans will query the Internet to make a decision on the candidates. Now more than ever, accurate information is key. For almost any query, the chances are that the search engine will turn up a Wikipedia article — and that’s where the problems begin. In 2001, Bernard Goldberg wrote his groundbreaking book Bias to confirm what we already knew: the media colored the news according to a liberal ideology. Today, Wikipedia, the “world’s largest encyclopedia,” has the potential of becoming the liberal left’s largest propaganda machine.Volunteer editors scour the Internet for “reliable sources” (RS in Wiki-speak) and the typical Wikipedia article is better sourced than most subscription-based encyclopedias, according to several studies. But it’s the choice of how to source an article that really shades the news. (READ MORE)

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Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble

I'm really late on this...in fact with out even looking I'm sure Blackfive noted this back in February when it actually occurred. Regadless, we must continue to tell our stories for the MSM fails us in that regard with great regularity.

Ladies and gentlemen allow me the pleasure of introducing you to the first full-blooded Sioux Indian to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor: Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble!


WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 22, 2008) -- During the final allied offensive of the Korean War, Master Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble risked his life to save his fellow Soldiers. Almost six decades after his gallant actions and 26 years after his death, Keeble will be the first full-blooded Sioux Indian to receive the Medal of Honor.

The White House announced Friday morning that Keeble will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously in a ceremony scheduled for 2:30 p.m. March 3.

Keeble is one of the most decorated Soldiers in North Dakota history. A veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he was born in 1917 in Waubay, S.D., on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Reservation, which extended into North Dakota. He spent most of his life in the Wahpeton, N.D. area, where he attended an Indian school. In 1942 Keeble joined the North Dakota National Guard, and in October that year, found himself embroiled in some of the fiercest hand-to-hand combat of World War II on Guadalcanal.

Guadalcanal

"Guadalcanal seemed to be on his mind a lot," Russell Hawkins, Keeble's stepson, said. "His fellow Soldiers said he had to fight a lot of hand-to-hand fights with the Japanese, so he saw their faces. Every now and then he would get a far-away look in his eyes, and I knew he was thinking about those men and the things he had to do." At Henderson Field on the South Pacific Island, Keeble served with Company I, 164th Infantry - the first Army unit on Guadalcanal."

I heard stories from James Fenelon, who served with him there, and he would talk about how the men of the 164th rallied around this full-blooded Sioux Indian whose accuracy with the Browning Automatic Rifle was unparalleled," Hawkins said. "It was said he would go in front of patrols and kill enemies before his unit would get there."

The Sioux have a word for that kind of bravery, according to Hawkins - wowaditaka. "It means don't be afraid of anything, be braver than that which scares you the most." Keeble personified the word according to fellow Soldiers, and earned the first of four Purple Hearts and his first Bronze Star for his actions on Guadalcanal.

Korea

Keeble answered the call to arms again when war broke out in Korea. He was a seasoned, 34-year-old master sergeant serving with 1st Platoon, Company G, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Division.

According to eyewitness accounts, while serving as the acting platoon leader of 1st Plt. in the vicinity of the Kumsong River, North Korea, on or about Oct. 15. 1951, Keeble voluntarily took on the responsibility of leading not only his platoon, but the 2nd and 3rd Platoons as well.

In an official statement 1st Sgt. Kosumo "Joe" Sagami of Co. G said, "All the officers of the company had received disabling wounds or were killed in action, except one platoon leader who assumed command of the company." The company's mission was to take control of a steep, rocky, heavily fortified hill.

Hawkins recalled how the man everyone knew as "Woody," described the terrain. "We were driving through Colorado on a trip, and Woody was pointing at something out the window," Hawkins said. By that time, Keeble had suffered seven debilitating strokes and lost the ability to speak."

I pulled over and realized he was pointing at a large, rocky cliff with an almost sheer drop. I asked Woody if that was what it was like during that battle in Korea and he nodded, 'yes,'" Hawkins said. "It wasn't quite a straight drop down, but you could get up the hill faster on your hands and knees than on your feet."

Sagami wrote that Keeble led all three platoons in successive assaults upon the Chinese who held the hill throughout the day. All three charges were repulsed, and the company suffered heavy casualties. Trenches filled with enemy soldiers, and fortified by three pillboxes containing machine guns and additional men surrounded the hill.

Following the third assault and subsequent mortar and artillery support, the enemy sustained casualties among its ranks in the open trenches. The machine gunners in the pillboxes however, continued to direct fire on the company. Sagami said after Keeble withdrew the 3rd platoon, he decided to attempt a solo assault."

He once told a relative that the fourth attempt he was either going to take them out or die trying," Hawkins said.

"Woody used to tell people he was more concerned about losing his men than about losing his own life," he added. "He pushed his own life to the limit. He wasn't willing to put his fellow Soldiers' lives on the line."

Armed with grenades and his Browning Automatic Rifle, Keeble crawled to an area 50 yards from the ridgeline, flanked the left pillbox and used grenades and rifle fire to eliminate it, according to Sagami. After returning to the point where 1st Platoon held the company's first line of defense, Keeble worked his way to the opposite side of the ridgeline and took out the right pillbox with grenades. "Then without hesitation, he lobbed a grenade into the back entrance of the middle pillbox and with additional rifle fire eliminated it," Sagami added.

Hawkins said one eyewitness told him the enemy directed its entire arsenal at Keeble during his assault. "He said there were so many grenades coming down on Woody, that it looked like a flock of blackbirds." Even under heavy enemy fire, Keeble was able to complete his objective. Only after he killed the machine gunners did Keeble order his men to advance and secure the hill.

"When I first started hearing these stories I was amazed that a man of Woody's size (more than six feet tall and 235-plus pounds), could sneak up on the enemy without being noticed," Hawkins said. "So one day, I was out helping him mow the lawn, and I asked him how he did it. He just shrugged his shoulders.

"I joked with him and told him those soldiers must have been blind or old or something, because he would never be able to sneak up on a young guy like me." Hawkins said he continued to mow then was startled when Woody popped up from behind some bushes near him. "He could have reached out and grabbed me by the ankles, and I didn't even know he was there!" Keeble had slid on his back behind the brush. Although Hawkins was not positive, he believed Keeble might have used a similar maneuver when attacking the pillboxes.

Keeble's selfless acts on that rugged terrain in 1951 did not come without a price. According to Sagami and other eyewitnesses, he was wounded on at least five different occasions by fragmentation and concussion grenades. "His wounds were apparent in the chest, both arms, right calf, knee and right thigh and left thigh." Sagami cited blood at the wound locations as evidence.

Hawkins said 83 grenade fragments were removed from Keeble's body, but several others remained. "You could tell that the wounds bothered him sometimes, but he never complained."

Sagami wrote in his statement that Keeble did not complain on the battlefield either. "At no time did he allow himself to be evacuated during the course of the day. Only after the unit was in defensive positions for the night did he allow himself to be evacuated."

According to Hawkins, every surviving member of Co. G signed a letter recommending Keeble for the Medal of Honor on two separate occasions, once in November 1951 and then again in December that same year. On both instances, the paperwork was lost. Keeble was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross Dec. 20, 1952 for his actions in Korea, not the Medal of Honor his men believed he deserved. He also earned the Purple Heart (First Oak Leaf Cluster); Bronze Star (First Oak Leaf Cluster); and the Silver Star as a result of his heroics throughout his tour in Korea. He was honorably discharged March 1, 1953.

Life after the Army

Even after his discharge, Keeble never severed his ties with the Army, Hawkins said, and was a champion for veterans and their causes. "He was always going to different veterans events and he supported the Disabled American Veterans organization. He would wear his uniform in parades, and was the first in line for any type of fundraiser."

Though Keeble knew of his unit's failed attempts to award him the Medal of Honor, Hawkins said he never sensed any bitterness from him. "Whenever someone would bring it up, he just shrugged. He wasn't there to get medals; he was there for his men and his country. He enjoyed the small things in life, and concentrated on what he had, not what he didn't have."

Those who didn't know Keeble the Soldier saw him as a kind-hearted, gentle man full of humility, according to Hawkins. "Woody was a very upbeat person. If you didn't know his war record, you'd think he was just a happy-go-lucky guy. His glass was always half full, never half empty."

In later years, Keeble fell on hard times and was forced to pawn all his medals. He had one lung removed, and in the months and years following the surgery suffered more than a half dozen strokes that Hawkins said eventually left him speechless. "But his mind remained sharp, and he was the same man inside."

Keeble's family was presented with a duplicate set of medals in May 2006, and they, along with his uniform and other memorabilia, are housed at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.

Long Road to Medal of Honor

The family's battle to upgrade Keeble's Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor began in 1972, when both Woody and his wife, Dr. Blossom Hawkins-Keeble, were still alive. According to Hawkins, the family unknowingly started off in the wrong direction. "We thought the paperwork had been lost, but were unaware that it no longer existed. It didn't just get lost on the battlefield, it never made it off the battlefield." When the family finally realized this fact, they sought the support of the Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe and gathered recorded statements from the men who served with Keeble.

The team soon learned that since the statute of limitations for awarding the Medal of Honor was three years from the date of the heroic action, it would literally take, "An Act of Congress," to realize the goal. Beginning in 2002, the tribe involved senators and representatives from North and South Dakota. Armed with written evidence, eyewitness accounts and letters from four senators supporting the effort, tribe officials contacted the Army, which reviewed the evidence and con